


An External Stimulus

by rhapshie



Category: Hikaru no Go
Genre: Akira too, Gen, Hikaru is a big brother material, Host Clubs, Illustration included, Ogata is his typical socially inept self, Sai is just pretty as always
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-23
Updated: 2018-08-06
Packaged: 2019-05-10 12:13:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 27,919
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14736770
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rhapshie/pseuds/rhapshie
Summary: There's a new Go salon in town.It's not justanotherGo salon either. Here, everyone will be able to enjoy sweets and tea accompanied with amateurs who are obscenely good at the game.Oh, they are also obscenely good looking. Hence people dub this place the Go host club.





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Blaming Littwink and Olympia for this!! T.T I didn't want to make another multichap but I guess here we go... talking to them is so infectious. There's so many great unexplored AUs for us to play in!  
> Anyways, no matter who you are (especially if your username is Olympia), please stop enabling me (that is a joke. Please never stop) because my hands are so impulsive and suddenly they will slip and write 100,000 words like what happened last time. I even considered making a doujin for butler cafe!AU but... doujin is effort... _:(´ཀ`」 ∠):_ … 
> 
> In this universe, everyone's in their 20s because I don't want no jailbait. Hikaru and Akira are the same age, Sai's a bit older and Ogata is also a little older than Sai.  
> As for ships, I haven't decided yet. It probably—definitely will have something to do with Ogata (if you've read any of my fic you know EXACTLY which two I'm considering... LOL) but of course there's the possibility of no ship -shrugs- depends.  
>  ~~...OR MAYBE EVEN ALL FOUR OF THEM *EVIL LAUGHTER* someone please save me from me~~
> 
> ANYWAYS! I rambled. Go ahead and enjoy~ Maybe I'll draw something nice in the future... hmm~ host club Ogata... ^q^

A cafe took a small little town in Tokyo by storm.

Tucked away in a humble arcade was a family business ran by the Fujiwara selling all sort of traditional Japanese confectionary and tea that were crafted with love. Each and every item had a taste that was reminiscent of home. It was just through their unfavourable roll of a dice that no one was aware of the existence of this tiny cafe, which was truly a shame. It seemed that the Fujiwara's oldest son thought so too. The arcade that was slowly withering away provided him with the motivation to breathe life and character into his family's old shop, all to ensure its continued survival. An idea so bold and out of the ordinary only little would dare to realise it. 

If one pitched this idea, the response that they would receive were frowns, hums of uncertainty and perhaps laughter of the sceptics. However, this young man somehow, someway, convinced himself that the biggest mistake he could make was to not try to realise his dream. A dream of showing the world that Go was not a boring old man's game, but it was a tool of self-expression capable of making the players feel like they were a god in a universe of their own creation. Not only was he courageous enough to go through with this last-resort concept, he made it work.

And hence born the Fujiwara Go cafe.

No, it wasn't just a place where people could sit down to snack on some traditional sweets while conversing over the Go board. It was a charming place, so welcoming and hospitable thanks to the four staff that made it that way. It was a place where people could discover the beauty of Go and... of others. They played, they conversed, they spilled their hearts out. It was a cafe where one could let go of their everyday burden and revel in a great game with a great company without judgement.

With Sai, perhaps. The owner, the mastermind of this brilliant cafe whose love for the game was so overwhelmingly sincere he was able to soften even the most hardened of hearts, introducing everyone to this ancient game of territory and scheme where one could lose themselves in. Behind his beautiful elegance that would never fail to instil the thought that he was a royalty from the olden days, he hid an excitable nature and childlike innocence that so irresistible it made everyone long to protect him and shield him from the horrors of this world. His smile was always so bright and pure, capable of brightening even the darkest of days and bringing a light of joy to those who struggled to reach for one.

Or perhaps with Hikaru. The sporty older brother type who would do anything to make you smile. Always so enthusiastic and lively, it was exceedingly infectious. When he talked, he always talked with passion, with a flame that burned brightly in his glimmering emerald eyes you wouldn't be able to help yourselves from cheering for him. Boasting a lean yet muscular figure that showed that he frequented the gym, he was always wrapped in a casual street fashion, one would never have guessed that he had an immense natural talent for Go and a love for the game that rivalled that of Sai.

If a quiet yet soothing company was all you needed then perhaps Akira would be the correct person to turn to. Yes, the very same Akira who left the professional Go world at a mere 16 years old and disappeared from the media altogether for years until this very day. His eyes were always soft, looking at his company with bottomless hospitability and respect. This, combined with his emotional sensitivity, made him the number one choice that everyone would go to when he or she had a problem that was affecting their lives. Akira never ran out of excellent advice that was always as superb as his skill in Go.

If not these three, then perhaps Seiji. The senpai who never noticed you in high school now would give you all the attention in the world. With his bespectacled charm and a background in law, trust him to always have something cheeky to say through the rims of his glasses with those narrow, sharp hazel eyes of his, cutting tiny little holes into you. He was the embodiment of the forbidden fruit, especially with his excellent sense of fashion and the way his voice was low and deep, reverberating inside everyone's ears just as commanding as his prowess in Go.

But of course, every story had its beginning and it wasn't surprising that this one also had its bookmarked dog-eared pages that led to this very moment of creative breakthrough in the world of Go, instilling an equal amount of frowns and surprise in the professional scene, leaving them wondering why exactly these immensely talented amateurs—and  _the_ Touya Akira, were faffing about instead of taking the game seriously and stepping forward as professionals.

Well, as one would expect, they had their own reason as to why they weren't in the spotlight, and a uniting cause for their decision to create this quirky idea of a Go cafe.

* * *

"Are you meeting Hikaru today, Sai?" A melodious voice chimed as Sai busied himself with his shoelaces.

"Yes!" He had an ear-to-ear grin when he turned to look at his beloved mother, an ageless beauty who still shone like a gem even after hitting the fifty-five mark. "I haven't seen him in two years! Can you believe that it's been that long? I wonder if he's changed at all." Sai giggled in anticipation he could barely contain his emotion. Not that he ever tried to.

"Well, will you give this to him? And tell him to come visit sometimes!" Said Fujiwara Riko just as excitedly as his son, a sealed bag of fresh red bean manju was handed to him. One of Hikaru's favourite things in the world aside from soccer and ramen. 

"I doubt I even have to tell him that." Sai grinned, might as well start jumping up and down at the thrill of finally meeting his childhood friend after a long time. "I'll be back in time for dinner with Hikaru. I'll drag him kicking and screaming if I have to. See you, mother." Giving a small kiss on her cheek, Sai slid the door open and left with a joyful hum.

After they graduated from high school just a few years ago, Hikaru had been professionally involved in soccer in Japan and soon after his blooming talent for the sport was noticed, he left to train overseas. There had never been any other room for argument there and nor was Sai about to hold back his friend of fifteen years from achieving his lifelong dream. They parted with smiles on their faces as well as promises to keep in touch via the internet with a game of Go or two every night.

As Sai felt the tremble of the train, his heart thumped loudly in his chest. Two years might not be too long for some, but for Sai and Hikaru who had been inseparable ever since primary school, it was an agonisingly long two years and they were ecstatic to finally see each other once more.

He never thought that he would ever be interested in soccer but he truly enjoyed watching his friend on the TV whenever he had the chance to. Hikaru was doing very well for himself, having participated in a few international championships and even scoring some goals for Japan. However, in the corner of his heart, Sai felt a little uneasy. Why was he making the trip back when it was still the middle of the season? Was it truly for vacation as Hikaru claimed or was it something more grave?

Brushing off such pessimistic thought, Sai walked out of the train and towards the exit where Hikaru said he was waiting at. Sure enough, there he was, still with his signature dyed bangs, fiddling away on his phone as he yawned.

"Hikaru!" Sai slammed a hand on the boy's shoulder, making him jump and scrambling to save his phone before it could make contact with the ground.

"Oh my god, Sai. Don't do that!" He scowled, pocketing his phone before his expression melted into a gentler, welcoming one. Sai smiled at Hikaru and leaned in to give his friend a tight hug that was reciprocated with one of equal affection. The two remained that way for a few lingering seconds until Hikaru pulled back and grinned. "Hey."

"We have  _so_ much to talk about! There's a Go salon just in the corner. Let's go there!" Sai took Hikaru's arm and practically dragged the boy with him. For someone so thin, Sai sure was powerful. It must be his burning passion for everything that always put him in a perpetual state of adrenalin rush.

They paid the entrance fee of 500 yen and soon found a seat near the window where they immediately grabbed a bowl each and opened the lid, as methodical as a professional player would be. Hikaru was black and he made the first move on a hoshi point.

"Ah, there we go!" He laughed when he laid out the first stone. "That's so much better than that obnoxious sound in NetGo."

"It's not the most charming of sound," Sai giggled, agreeing with his friend as he responded to Hikaru's hand with a 4-4 of his own. "So how was going around the world? I see that you're a lot more tanned now."

"Ugh! Don't get me started on the tan!" The boy yelled out as he grabbed the bottom of his shirt and pulled it up to reveal his pasty, toned stomach. "See? Look at this!" He placed his arm in front of his stomach as a comparison. "The tan mark is way too real."

"You should appreciate it. It's like a battle scar of the sort." Another move was exchanged on the board as they spoke, catching up as if they have never spent even a week apart.

Hikaru rolled his eyes as he placed a black stone with a satisfying clacking noise. "At least the pay's good. It's worth all the tan mark in the world." He said, observing the board carefully. Hikaru wasn't the strongest Go player in the world but he knew that Sai could easily enter the professional scene should he desire, so he had to tread with caution if he wanted a slither of a chance of winning. 

"I saw your match against China. The stunt you pulled was crazy!" Sai remarked as he watched the game unfolding before his eyes. Hikaru had improved. He must have played quite a lot even though he was swamped with soccer practice. It was a thought that put a smile on Sai's face. Go was something that they always came back to as their number one game of choice ever since they met. Sai was aware of Hikaru's love for the game and it was placating to see that some things just wouldn't change. 

"You mean impressive?" He grinned, pushing his chest out and huffed with pride, remembering how he almost broke his leg saving the ball from going outside the line and made a lucky shot that went straight past the stunned goalkeeper. "My teammates wouldn't stop talking about it."

"I wouldn't either. That was too dangerous." Sai curled his nose in frustration at his friend's unchanging brash and reckless nature. It was exactly why he wouldn't stop worrying about him. "So, when's the next match?"

A shadow loomed in Hikaru's eyes as soon as Sai approached the topic and he could feel his stomach sinking. Had his hunch been right? Did something happen to Hikaru while he wasn't watching? Sai watched how his friend seemed to curl, withdrawing into his shell as he made himself as small as he possibly could. Sighing, Hikaru looked away from Sai bitterly, his fingers clenched painfully tightly on the fabric of his pants.

"Hikaru?" Sai croaked. He could never stand seeing such distressed expression on the boy with sanguine temperament.

"I, uh..." He scratched the back of his head nervously, still refusing to face his childhood friend. "I probably won't play anymore." Hikaru forced a laughter from his throat. It sounded so pathetic unlike his usual loud self and Sai felt his heart breaking. The only thing worse than seeing an anguished Hikaru was seeing Hikaru who tried his best to mask his pain just so Sai wouldn't have to worry so much about him.

Sai withdrew his hand from over the Go-ban and placed the stone in his fingers back into the bowl. Gone was the light-hearted conversation between two old friends. In its place, came a heavy and stifling cloud of distress that suffocated both males to the point of silence. Something that certainly never happened when the two was together since they were always known for their antics. 

"I tore my ligaments." Hikaru murmured with hoarse voice despite his best effort to cover it. The last thing he wanted to do was to kill the mood that was supposed to be nothing but absolute joy. Seemed like he did just that if the glimmering tears in Sai's amethyst eyes were something to go by.

"Hikaru..." Sai whispered, his shoulders sagging in grief for his friend. Ever since they were little, Hikaru would never stop going on and on about soccer, about his favourite players and he even forced Sai to play with him. It wasn't a pretty sight but Sai endured it since he truly loved the way Hikaru's eyes gleamed when they were on the topic of the said sport. His impatience was a mere misconception when it came to his persistence to improve Sai's skill. Although they eventually gave up on it, Sai would always be willing to watch and discuss any match that Hikaru wanted to see. Hikaru had always been a passionate kid but nothing ever rivalled his love for soccer, hence why Sai's heart broke for him.

"I had it operated on, but..." The other male sighed. "It's a lost cause. I guess that's a risk that all sports player agreed to, huh?" Hikaru said, this time a little louder than before. After a few more seconds. he finally placed a stone on the board, something that Sai disregarded completely as his eyes remained fixed on Hikaru. "God, I ruined the mood." He murmured.

Sai was at loss of what to say. Nothing he could offer would be worth anything since it wouldn't be able to change a thing. So, instead of that, he stood up and approached Hikaru to take the boy into a big, comforting hug, certainly something that Hikaru appreciated. Sai's warmth had never failed to bring him some degree of relief and it proved to be the case this time too as he felt his heart slowly becoming a little lighter.

"Thanks," He muttered shyly, watching Sai returning back to his seat. "I guess I have to find something else to do now. Kinda regretting not going to university."

"It's not too late to pick something up." The older male replied as the game continued to unfold before him.

"I guess. But it means I have to waste another 4 years on something I most likely won't be passionate about," Feeling the coolness of the black stone on his fingers, Hikaru scowled. "Heh. I guess I can try going pro?" He chuckled. That was one of the career options that Hikaru considered a few years ago but eventually decided that he loved soccer more than Go.

"That's certainly something you can think about." Sai smiled softly. The progression would be a little slow, not to mention Hikaru's age of 22 that would set him back immensely since nowadays most people became professionals at 13-15.

"I don't think it's a lifestyle for me. Everyone's so serious there..." Complained Hikaru, exhaling once more. He needed to find a part-time job as he thought about his future. It seemed grim at the moment.

"But you really are talented, Hikaru. You'll be able to make it if you practice hard enough. It's never too late to start." Sai remarked, this time making a cut on Hikaru's weak point on the board, something that the boy visibly winced at, regretting not fixing it.

"I'll think about it. The registration is still months away, after all."

One game became two and two soon became three. It wasn't until Sai realised that the sky outside had turned a beautiful shade of orange that he perked up and quickly finished the game. He handed the manju that his mother gave him to Hikaru and invited the boy to visit his house for dinner, an offer that Hikaru gladly accepted.

"How's everything going with the shop?" Asked the younger of the two as he munched away on the red bean confectionery, revelling in the chewy texture of it. After years, it still hadn't changed one bit. It reminded him of the day he moved next to Sai's residence when he was seven. He would eat at the Fujiwara's humble little shop almost every day until his mother warned him about diabetes and swapped his dango with tea. Without sugar.

Sai looked up at the sky reflectively as he tried to come up with a response. "It's not doing very well," He muttered softly, regretfully. "I wish there's something more I can do."

"I see..." Hikaru stared at the ground, his chewing coming to a stop as he swallowed what was left of the food. "You're still giving Go lessons?"

"It's the least I can do to support my parents." Was the only thing that Sai said before the two simultaneously fell silent. Ever since he was little, he had always been sickly and he wished that wasn't the case. His family wasn't very well off and at times, he felt like a liability. They always spent so much for his health, money that could've gone into improving their shop or perhaps move to somewhere with more foot traffic.

"I guess we don't have any good news, huh?" Hikaru nudged Sai on the shoulder, trying to raise the mood somehow. It was an attempt that Sai very much appreciated as he nodded and smiled.

"I'm sure we'll get through it. After all, how can we appreciate the good in our lives if there are never any bad ones?"

"Amen to that." Hikaru grinned while watching Sai opening the front door of his shop but was unable to hide the ache in the bottom of his stomach. The arcade that bustled with life now was merely a shell of its former self. The stores that Sai and he always relished visiting when they were little was long closed, even the bookstore and game shop where they frequented.

Life went on. Sometimes it was bitter. Sometimes there was nothing anyone could do about it.

"Hikaru! Look at you," Riko exclaimed in joy when he saw the boy entered along with her son. "You're so much bigger now. Come in, come in!" She said, ushering him in with Sai trailing after them, giggling at his mother's reaction. She had always considered Hikaru as one of her own, after all. "I've almost finished cooking. Feel free to use the shower!"

"Thank you, Fujiwara-san." Hikaru beamed before making himself comfortable on Sai's bed by throwing himself at it. He made a groan of satisfaction at the contact. The pillow was soft and cool against his neck.

It was a sight that Sai found extremely endearing, made apparent through his amused giggles as he opened the wardrobe. "I'll get the futon ready. The towel is in the bathroom already."

Hearing the ruffling noise of Sai busying himself, Hikaru rolled to his back and neck before propping himself up to a sitting position, legs crossed. "Or we can just sleep together just like before."

"You're not 12 anymore, Hikaru. I doubt the bed will fit the both of us." The long-haired male laughed, his hands moving to place the futon neatly on the ground next to his bed. "Did you already tell your mother that you'll be staying over?"

Hikaru pulled his phone out of the pocket of his jeans and started to punch out messages before putting it on the nightstand. "Done and done." He said. Then, he lied down once more on the bed, his hands and feet sprawled as if he owned the place. "Hey, Sai?"

"Yes?" The addressed male responded with that gentle voice of his as he worked to place a pillow and blanket on the futon.

With his eyes still lingering on the ceiling, Hikaru muttered. "If you were healthy, would you have gone professional?"

"Without a second thought." Sai immediately responded, tone firm and full of reassurance. After all, it was his ailment that stopped him from submitting that insei exam form that he already filled out. He felt like he was obliged to take it upon himself to study for great grades and graduate with an excellent mark so that he would be able to repay his parents who had been nothing but kind to him. By the time he realised that being a Go professional would make him more money than he had previously imagined, it was far too late. His family was on their last leg and Sai couldn't afford to spare another year or two to build his career.

If only fate was kinder to him and his beloved parents, perhaps he would have been able to strive for what he truly loved instead of being chained to a life where he couldn't see the light at the end of the tunnel. It wasn't that he thought of this as a burden. He would do anything to support his family, but spending all day making confectionery wasn't where his life passion truly lied. Just like how Hikaru loved soccer, Sai loved Go.

At least he wasn't alone in life's cruel agenda to rip their dreams away from them.

For now, he needed to find a way to save his family's shop before it went under. Every night, Sai thought long and hard about it to no avail. Something that wouldn't cost anything yet able to attract more customers was what he was looking for. Even as they had dinner with his parents and Hikaru, he found himself distracted. He was thankful that the only one being showered with attention was his friend, as it left him with a thinking time of his own.

They soon finished their meal and after they helped out with the dishes, they retreated into the bedroom to enjoy a game of Go while catching up on each other's lives. Hopefully, they'd be able to talk about positive matters now. 

"Hikaru, Sai. I have some dango for you." Riko smiled as she opened the door to Sai's room to find the two already halfway through their current game. "I see that you are still not close to Sai's level just yet." Having been the one to teach her son when he was only four, she understood the game to clearly see who was winning. 

"I'll get there soon!" Hikaru curled his lips, sulking as Sai took yet another large territory. However, as soon as he laid his eyes on the dango and cup of tea, his expression immediately brightened. "Oh yeah! I haven't had these in ages!"

"You spoil him too much." Sai shook his head while Riko watched the soccer professional thoughtlessly shoving the sweets into his mouth and ending up with an ear-to-ear grin of satisfaction. In that situation, Hikaru looked like how he was when he was only seven. How time had passed. She was exuberant that the two remained friends after all this time. They were such wonderful influence on each other.

"Well, I suppose I will leave you alone now." She smiled affectionately before turning to leave. 

"She hasn't aged one bit." Hikaru laughed but that laughter soon turned into a scowl as Sai denied Hikaru the second eye he wanted. "You really should do something with this skill of yours. More than just a small-time teaching, I mean."

Sai pursed his lips at the comment. It was certainly something that crossed his mind at some point but he couldn't really think of anything that would net him enough money to help his parents. A Go salon in such a quiet city would not exactly shine the brightest, after all.

While his friend seemed to be deep in thought, Hikaru took one more dango and a split second before it would make the trip to his belly, he stopped.

"Hmm..." Hummed the boy, his eyes sparkled with life as he twirled the sweet, inspecting its glistening surface. Then, he popped one of the three balls into his mouth, relishing its sweetness and chewy texture, letting it melt on his tongue. It wasn't the best tasting dango he had ever eaten, but it reminded him of the warmth of a fireplace during snowy winter. No matter how much he tried to, he couldn't resist a smile when he ate any of the Fujiwara's homemade sweets. It wasn't only him either. He vividly remembered others having the same opinion.

As he went through the snack, he listened to Sai going on a tangent about Akari, Kaga, Mitani and Tsutsui, their high school friends, and how he had the pleasure of meeting them just a few weeks ago. With a cup of green tea, homey dango and Sai's soft yet excited voice, he felt himself relaxing. His shoulders sagged as if the weight that had been placed on it suddenly faded away. For the first time in months, Hikaru forgot all about his lost dream. Here, with Sai, he was home.

"I think I have an idea." Hikaru said, cutting through Sai's sentence. 

It seemed like Sai was used to this as he lifted his head in time to see his friend grinning and handing him the confectionery, a gesture that he had to blink at. Hikaru wasn't exactly a sharer when it came to food but Sai took it nonetheless. 

"What about a Go Cafe?" He rested his cheek on his hand as he watched his friend chewing on the sweets

"A Go cafe?" Sai tilted his head in question. He had some idea of what he meant, but he would like to fully understand what the boy meant. 

"Like, a place where you can teach Go and where others can play, but you can also sell your confectionery because honestly, nothing goes better with Go than traditional Japanese sweets and green tea." Said the boy with a loud voice. "And honestly, Sai, you're an amazing company. So, in a way, you can sell yourself too, if you know what I mean." 

"Ah, I see!" Sai smacked both of his hands together. "So instead of me travelling to a Go salon to have a session, we can do it here!"

"Yup! And now I'm here too, so I can help out!" Shindou's grin was bright and expressive as he bounced on the spot.

"But..." Unlike his friend, Sai's expression quickly stooped. "I can't imagine that would make too much of a difference. I mean, aside from sweets and Go, what else can we offer to stand out? I know some Go salon already does this, so..."

"Uh..." Hikaru trailed off, quickly becoming troubled. Of course, the idea would have been taken. Duh! He had never been the most innovative, after all, so there was no reason as to why he would suddenly come up with an excellent concept.

What would it be, what would be one thing that could potentially separate them from the rest of the pack? What could possibly attract people to play an old man's game?

An old man's game?

Hikaru placed his fingers on his chin pensively as he eyed his friend who was just as deeply in thought as he was. Even when frowning, the man managed to somehow maintain his ethereal beauty and elegance. It made Hikaru snort a bit but quickly looked to the side where he could see a large, worn mirror with scratch marks all over it. He inspected his own reflection for a few short moments, brushing his hair back with his hand as he did so.

Yes. Yes. That would work. That might be it!

"...What about our dashing good looks?"

"Our what?" Sai furrowed in confusion at the sudden suggestion. Was his friend trying to have a good laugh and be sarcastic? However, such thought quickly dissipated when he saw the tell-tale look on Hikaru. The one he always had whenever he was being one hundred and ten percent serious.

"Hey, think about it!" Yelled the boy as he quickly crawled next to Sai and firmly grasped both of his shoulders. "The owners of Go salons are always stinky old men and we're far from that. We're not too bad looking, right?" He said, quickly adding his physical fitness into the equation. "With this, we can attract younger audience! Well, most likely girls, but customers nonetheless!"

"I... I don't know about this, Hikaru." Sai brushed Hikaru's hands off his shoulders half-heartedly and he sighed dejectedly. "Go shouldn't be about ulterior motives. I want people to learn it by their own free will, not because a reward is dangled in front of them."

"We're not bribing them!" Hikaru insisted, pushing forward to invade his friend's personal bubble. "We're encouraging them to learn the game. Besides, if they aren't interested, they will most likely leave after realising that they can't become amazing at it after only three sessions." He stated unrelentingly before his hands moved at a lightning speed to grasp Sai's and eyes locked steadfastly on his. "I'm sure that if we love the game as much as we claim to, our feelings will get through to them."

Sai's breath was taken away as soon as his friend completed those string of words. His previously blackened eyes now glimmered with hope and anticipation at the thought of inspiring the younger generation to take the leap and appreciate the game of Go as more than an 'old man's game'. If he couldn't become a professional, perhaps he could become a spokesperson, a representative.

Noticing the gleam in Sai's eyes, Hikaru let go of his hands and grinned. "I'm going to a press next week to announce my retirement. Maybe I can sneak an advertisement then. That should get the words out to the public without having to spend money."

"You would do that?" The long-haired male quickly rose up from seiza, his cheeks rosy when he saw his friend nodding eagerly. "That would be great, Hikaru. Thank you!"

"So, it's a deal, then? We're doing it?" Hikaru followed suit and stood up. "I still have money saved up, so we can use some to buy a few boards to get started."

"Hikaruuuu...!" Sai threw himself at the other male, tears spilling out of his eyes. His heart soared at the sudden hope that rooted itself inside of him out of the blue. If his friend was willing to go to that extent, he must have seen some sort of promise behind this very odd concept of a Go host club. However, if it meant that he would be able to spread his love for the game in a more accessible manner, he would be more than happy to go through with it.

"All right, let's do some shopping tomorrow!" The bleached-bangs male fisted the air as he exclaimed joyfully before they quickly settled into a seating position once more to continue the game they were playing.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay! This chapter is just establishing this premise :) hopefully, I can do a bit more next chapter. Not sure what I'm gonna be tackling just yet but it'll come...


	2. Chapter 2

When he was little, Akira loved Go. He relished the steep learning curve and found the complexity of the game to be a large part of its charm. Not to mention the respect he had for his father, who he knew was one of the best at his craft. To be told that he had a talent for Go inflated Akira's pride and encouraged him to outdo himself daily. It was how he managed to turn professional at a young age of twelve. 

However, when he was sixteen, he lost sight of his true aim and as a result, Go lost its meaning. With no one who could ignite his passion and the expectations of all around him looming over his shoulders, he stepped away from the spotlight. Everyone raised him up on a pedestal as the son of Touya Meijin, not Touya Akira. As far as they were concerned, it was the talent for Go that ran in his blood, never mind the hard work that he put forward. He forgot when exactly his matches had become just another games for him instead of an adventure that he could get lost in.

Even though Akira resigned as a professional, the ember of his love for Go remained. It was dormant, ready to be awakened once more. Akira wasn't entirely certain what could flick his switch, but he promised himself to find it. Perhaps then, people would finally see him as Touya Akira.

"I can't believe Shindou retired!" One of the boys in Akira's university class said out loud, exasperation clear in his voice. "He was doing so well too."

The other chuckled. "Well, you gotta admit that he was a bit too reckless. Did you see what happened in the match against the Chinese?"

"Oh, yeah that made me cringe a bit," After a few seconds of exchanged laughter, he continued. "And he said something about... playing Go? That came out of nowhere."

"You didn't know?" His friend blinked before crossing his arms and leaned forward on the desk. "I heard that he struggled a bit to choose between a career in Go or soccer. I guess now that he injured his legs, he has to turn to Go. Where did he say it was again? Maybe I'll pay him a visit to get an autograph."

"Hah! If you do go, get one for me too."

Those words caught Akira's ears. He had no interest in sports, but he was definitely up-to-date with the current news. Shindou was a name that he was starting to get accustomed to as his classmates would often talk about him and what a monster he would become in another few years time. He would have never guessed that a soccer professional would have any interest in Go and he found his curiosity piqued. If he considered a career in Go, he must be quite confident in his skill.

"Hey, don't you play Go too, Touya?"

"Huh? Oh, yes..." Akira retorted tentatively, glancing away. It wasn't a common knowledge, but some of the students recognised his name and as a result, everyone else now accepted that he was quite skilled at it.

"Maybe you can play him," As he rested his chin on his palm, he grinned. "And get us his autograph—ow!"

"At least get it yourself!" The other male shook his head after elbowing his friend. "But if you're really interested, Touya, Shindou said something about Fujiwara Confectionery. Who knows, maybe he'll give you more challenge than the Go club here."

Akira smiled gently, grateful for the information given to him without him having to request it. "I will keep that in mind. Thank you, Takashi-san."

Relinquishing the thought for now, Akira decided to focus on his studies in order to prepare for the upcoming exam just to ensure that nothing would take him by surprise. Giving up Go was a tough decision to make for him, and even now, he still wasn't sure if regretted it or not. That indifference was what troubled him the most. His father had been quite understanding when Akira justified the reason behind his far-too-early retirement and wished that he would one day find the answer that he sought.

He finished his exam preparation with a long sigh and soon noticed that everyone was gone. When he looked out the large window pane, he saw that the sun had started to set. With that, he closed his books and slipped them into his bag before moving to walk out of the room.

Akira missed the train that he wanted to catch and had to wait for another ten minutes before another would come. Staying still at the platform, he started to gauge his options. Was the rumour really true? Did Shindou really consider going professional before deciding that he was more passionate about soccer, after all? It was a notion that Akira couldn't wrap his head around. Most Go players were known to be introverts who would rather sit and strategise instead of running around a large field in front of a large crowd.

After a few moments of pregnant silence, Akira finally gave in to his curiosity and decided to head for Fujiwara Confectionery where Shindou claimed that he would be at most of the day. It was a gamble. Perhaps the soccer professional was bluffing. Akira didn't know what kind of person he was but nevertheless, he was eager to find out.

His phone GPS brought him to a quiet arcade in a small city. Most of them were shut down permanently, leaving only the closed-off metal grates. Other stores were occupied by people who were moving about as they closed their shops for the day. The concrete tiles under him were filthy, cracked and shambled. It was plenty obvious that this place was going to die very soon, which instilled a degree of concern in the corner of Akira's heart. Was this Go salon on the verge of closing down too? Was that why Shindou decided to mention its location in his press conference?

"This is it." The male muttered to himself when he saw a small store with a sign that said 'Fujiwara Confectionery'. The exterior looked very well maintained in comparison to other shops he came across. There were certainly wear and tear on the wooden door, but in a very pristine condition nonetheless. Just in front of it was a sign that wrote 'come in for a friendly game of Go with a complimentary green tea!'

"Excuse me." Akira said in a clear voice as he absorbed his surroundings. The interior was even a lot more decorated and attractive than its facade, only made more charming with the array of handmade Japanese sweets on display. He found himself smiling a little as he browsed the large selection. It had been so long since he had monaka. He decided that he will get some later for his parents.

"Oh, good evening!" Responded a female with beautiful, long silky hair who rushed to the counter. "Are you looking for the Go cafe too?"

"Ah, yes." He nodded lightly and allowed himself to be guided by the shop owner, who seemed to be far too enthusiastic than he expected. When she opened the wooden door behind the counter, Akira was greeted with a humble sight of a small room occupied by eight people and five Go boards. He quickly recognised one of them as Shindou Hikaru, if those flashy dyed bangs were something to go by.

"Oh, good one!" Hikaru beamed, voice loud and melodic. "You're really getting the hang of it."

"Really?" The high school student flashed him a huge smile of satisfaction, evidently proud that a compliment was being rolled her way.

"Totally. And I bet you can find an even better move," The male added, this time watching her observing the board with her full concentration, eyes squinted and all. "Oh, good evening—wait!" Hikaru's eyes widened in surprise at the guest, certainly the last person that he expected would visit this small-time Go cafe, but not unwelcome. "You're Touya Akira!"

It seemed that it wasn't only Hikaru who was taken by shock as Akira stammered, not anticipating the fact that he would be recognised right off the bat. His name might have been tossed around when he was a professional, but he didn't quite make it too big in the scene before he left. As a result, only those who studied the world of Go would know him past his last name. "G-good evening."

Hikaru immediately stood up and ushered the other male into the room with a large grin. "Oh man! This is such a surprise. Come sit! We're just having a few teaching games."

In the room with Hikaru and the other guests, Akira noticed a long-haired male who bore a resemblance to the shop owner, most likely her son. He, for sure, shared her charming look and Akira was certain that their smiles would be identical if only the man's mouth wasn't agape in wonder. "Touya-sensei! Oh, what an honour! This is fantastic."

"Ah, thank you." Akira muttered, still flustered at the fact that he was immediately given a special treatment, something that he, unfortunately, was quite used to in the professional scene. His thoughts were cut by Hikaru's lively voice as he promptly introduced the retired pro to the six others inside the room who had no idea who Akira was.

"Hey, Sai! Can I play him first?" Hikaru grabbed the other male by the shoulders and proceeded to shake him forward and backward violently. In response, Sai nodded weakly despite wanting to be the first to have a game against someone he kept his eyes on in the short duration he was in the spotlight. As Hikaru cheered and prepared the board, not forgetting to apologise to Chizu for interrupting their game, Sai mulled over what a shame it was that Akira cut his own career short. Where would the man be had he continued to press on despite the overwhelming attention that was focused on him?

Perhaps leaps and bounds ahead from where he was, perhaps nowhere. Because expectation was a double-edged sword.

"All right, Chizu-san! I'll take over your game! Come at me with everything you have!" Sai beamed, making the high schooler smile shyly when the beautiful man sat in front of her. The rest of the guests quickly gathered around Hikaru and Akira's Go board in curiosity. "I can go over their game over here if you'd like." The male said, dragging a table towards him and gestured politely for the other young ladies and men to come gather around him. After all, he had a feeling that the game was going to be too complex for newbies to understand.

Akira didn't know what to expect when the first stone was placed on the board. The male in front of him seemed awfully confident of his skill, not trembling even one bit despite knowing his identity. He lost count of how many kids of his age would falter even before their match started, all because of his reputation and his last name. Could it just be the effect of age? Perhaps Hikaru didn't consider him as a threat as he was no longer a professional?

As a result, his eyes remained on the boy, unwavering and curious. He had a bright, sunny smile that hadn't left his face ever since Akira stepped into the room. He only realised that he had been impolitely staring for far too long when Hikaru looked up and tilted his head sideways.

"What's wrong?" He queried, still with a smile.

"Ah," Akira gasped, this time opting to look at the board. His cheeks were flushed with the embarrassment of being caught staring. "Sorry." He said as he placed a stone on the board.

"Is he good, Fujiwara-san?" One of the girls, Shimizu, queried when he saw the two players exchanging hands. "Better than Hikaru-sensei?"

"Well, that remains to be seen, Shimizu-san." Sai grinned at the sight of his precious friend venturing into the realm of unknown. There was something comforting about watching the two playing against each other and Sai couldn't quite put his fingers on it. Maybe it was the sheer concentration, or maybe it was the contrast between Hikaru's blithe expression and Akira's scepticism, and how the retired professional would frown every now and then as if realising just how skilled his opponent truly was.

He felt that it was his duty to clearly and succinctly explain the warzone that was their Go-ban. The fights they got themselves into during mid-game was getting quite complex and Sai found himself struggling to put it into words. However, all those times he spent with newbies completely paid off as when the fight finally eased, the guests' eyes were still fixed on his board.

"Woah! So reading skill is this important?" Chizu commented, placing a finger on her chin pensively.

"Yes! The better someone is at reading, the more likely they are to win." Sai beamed, gripping the girl's hands tightly in excitement. It took her completely by surprise as she gasped, face turning beet red at the contact. Sai was utterly oblivious to this, so he merely giggled before turning to once again observe the match.

It was evident that Akira gravely underestimated Hikaru. His initially dubious facial expression shifted, making way to a more frustrated, remorseful one. His position on the board was frail, only winning by the slightest margin. Hikaru, on the other hand, seemed like he was having the time of his life.

As if knowing what went inside Akira's head, Hikaru smiled and without looking away from the board, said, "Regretting your decision to go easy on me?" When his opponent stayed quiet as a silent confirmation, Hikaru laughed, resting the back of his head on his hands. There was something in his eyes that quietly said 'just because I was a soccer pro doesn't mean I don't use my head' that made Akira burn with embarrassment. Coming in, he expected a good game against a decent match but this was something that he didn't anticipate.

"Why—" Akira choked out in frustration. His heart thundered in his chest and his palms became sweaty. Despite having faced numerous opponents stronger than Hikaru, there was something very humiliating about this game. Hikaru said nothing that offended him, only offering soft smile instead. However, to be equally matched by someone of his age was humbling. It was as if Akira was being put back in his place. "Why did you choose soccer?" He finally managed to ask.

"Because I love it more than anything else!" Hikaru gave him a bright, wide grin that made everyone's hearts skipped a bit. "Isn't that why you became a professional too, Touya-sensei?"

Instead of saying yes, Akira found himself questioning the true motive of his decision. Was that truly what he wanted? Or was he just trying to make his father proud?

With conflict pooling inside his stomach, Akira placed his palms on the board and dislocated all of the stones, making Hikaru blink in surprise.

"I demand a rematch." He said, tone firm and resolute. When Hikaru settled while giving him a grin, Akira had a feeling that he would frequent that Go cafe. Paying this place a visit was more than worth it, after all.

Clack.

Clack.

Clack.

The sound of Go stones echoed inside the room as everyone's eyes remained fixed on the board. It was when one of the boys yawned and decided it was time to leave that Sai realised just how late it had become.

"Thanks for today, Fujiwara-san!" They chirped, waving as the moved towards the door.

"I might come again tomorrow." Chizu giggled when Sai's expression brightened, nodding furiously at the same time.

"Awesome!" Hikaru cheered, laughing and grinning in sincere anticipation, effectively making all the girls' hearts stopped beating for a split second. With that smile, he almost looked like he was glimmering, metaphorical sparkles all around him. Akira made a small 'o' with his lips when he realised that this Go cafe was going to be a... fascinating one. He didn't really pay much attention, but it was a little odd how many young girls were there. Definitely, a sight that was extremely rare considering that there were more older men who were interested in the game than there were girls.

"I will  _definitely_ come again!" Rectified the female, cheeks flushed and all. "Will you teach me again, Shindou-sensei?"

"Are you kidding me? Of course! And please, Hikaru is fine. No need to be so formal." The boy practically bounced in his chair, his expression so bright it made Akira wonder why exactly he chose soccer over Go. He knew for a fact that no one could possibly fake such look of burning passion and love.

If fate was a little different and Hikaru opted to pursue a career as a Go professional instead, would he have been much, much better at the game than he was now? The thought of it made Akira's heart race. If Hikaru had been in the picture all those years ago, perhaps he wouldn't have left the professional scene. Perhaps he would have stayed, knowing that there was someone of his age who was able to pose a challenge to him instead of bending and cracking under his reputation.

"Rematch." Akira muttered. Hikaru was good but he wasn't quite on his level yet. There was a glimmer of untapped talent running in his Go that Akira could clearly see and he wanted to draw it out of the boy as soon as he possibly could. After all, this was the closest he had ever felt of finally finding out the answer to his true reason to play Go and what it was it that charmed him to begin with. His salvation arrived in the form of Shindou Hikaru, a retired soccer professional.

"I'd love to, but..." Hikaru scratched his head. "It's already 10. I need to go home."

"Huh?" The guest blinked before his eyes moved towards the wall clock and wondered how exactly he lost track of time, even after he admitted that he had an excellent awareness and time management skill. "Ah, I'm so sorry!" He immediately took a stand, dragging the chair back with a squeak as he did so. "Y-you could have told me earlier..."

"But you looked like you were having so much fun!" Hikaru laughed, cleaning the board while talking.

"Fun?" Akira whispered as if he had forgotten the meaning of the word. "I did?"

"Yeah! You had this... look on your face! Isn't that right, Sai?" The boy with bleached bangs turned to face his friend who nodded eagerly. "Did you have that much fun trampling me?"

"Oh, n-no..." Scratching the back of his head, Akira turned away. "You were just... a lot better than I was expecting. I was very surprised."

"Hah!" Hikaru grinned. "Don't judge a book by its cover. If you think that I'm strong then you're in for a pleasant surprise because Sai's a lot better than I am."

"That's the first time you ever admitted it." Sai blinked, making Hikaru scowl as his face turned beet red. Then, Sai giggled in amusement because Hikaru was still as childish as he remembered him to be. "But I do agree that I really am better than you!" Sai nudged Hikaru with his elbow and the boy muttered something that sounded like 'fuck off'. "After all, I was the one who taught you how to play."

"You did?" Akira turned to the long-haired male in surprise and his interest piqued when Hikaru announced that he was also much better. As much as he wanted to ask for a game, it was already very late and it would be unbecoming of him. "I will come back tomorrow." He said.

"You're welcome here any time." Hikaru smiled as he gazed at Akira gently. 

The man nodded then realised that he neglected to do one thing, so he turned to Sai bashfully. "Uhm, is the confectionery shop already closed for the day?"

Sai's eyes widened at the query and he immediately closed the distance between him and Akira to take the male's hands in his. "No! What would you like, Touya-sensei?"

"Oh, ah..." Akira stammered, clearly flustered at Sai's display of childish excitement and the way his eyes glistened with excitement. "The monaka, please. And the manju too, if it's not too much trouble."

"Of course! This way, please!" Sai pretty much dragged the poor boy out of the room and Hikaru couldn't help stifling a laugh at the sight. It was very typical Sai and he hoped that Akira would quickly adjust to his uncontainable bubbliness because even Hikaru struggled to get over that in the beginning.

When Akira finally left, it took Hikaru and Sai a moment to finally look at each other and crack a grin. Their first day had been a success with around twenty people coming throughout the day and most of them ended up making a purchase at the confectionery store. If they made a little more of a name for themselves, they would be able to charge for Go lessons in order to further assist Sai's family.

"What do you think of him?" Hikaru asked as they packed up the Go boards and neatly placed the bowls on top of them.

"He's an excellent player," Sai responded with a soft sigh of contentment. "I don't understand why someone of his skill level would let go of the opportunity to grow in the professional scene."

"I'm sure he has his reasons." Placing his hands on his hips, Hikaru shrugged before his expression soured. "But it's kinda frustrating that I lost all of the games."

"You're taking the losses surprisingly well, Hikaru! I half expected you to start throwing a tantrum."

"I'm not 12 anymore, Sai! Geez. I don't do that now!" The male slammed his body weight into Sai who spontaneously got thrown off balance and would have fallen had he not flailed around. As Sai sulked beside him, Hikaru thought back to his games against Akira. For some reason, the losses that he raked was significantly more frustrating than the ones against Sai. It really was a miracle that he didn't scowl at least once. Perhaps it was partly thanks to how legitimately focused Akira was during the matches like he truly considered Hikaru as a threat even when he didn't come close to beating him even once. Well, except the first game where Akira took his time to test the water.

"But, really," Sai sighed. "I can tell that he sincerely loves Go. No one who is only mildly interested in the game would lose track of time like that."

"Hmm," Hikaru hummed in agreement, now couldn't help wondering why Akira chose to leave the spotlight. If it was up to Hikaru, he would never give up soccer for anything in the world. "Maybe we'll find out if we stick around."

Sai nodded as they made their way outside and towards Hikaru's house which wasn't too far from his. "Do you think we can get him to work with us?"

Hikaru chuckled at the thought. It was a great idea but something that he couldn't visualise. "I'm sure he has better things to do with his time than hanging out with amateurs."

"Yeah..." Sai trailed off, failing to hide the disappointment in his voice. After all, Akira would be a great representative. Whereas Sai and Hikaru seemed like they didn't take the game seriously due to their loose attitude, Akira's passion for the game burned brightly. He was focused, intense yet still filled with curiosity and a thirst to learn more and more. Behind the facade he displayed during his games against Hikaru, however, Sai could see nothing but kindness and emotional sensitivity. He would be the perfect candidate for this still-very-alien idea of a Go host club.

"Well, it's been a fun first day!" Hikaru grinned, rounding his arm around Sai's neck. "We should start making brochures or something tomorrow. We shouldn't be satisfied with just this even though  _the_ Touya Akira did actually pop in for a few games. It still feels so surreal now I think about it."

Before Sai could respond, he heard a faint murmur somewhere in their vicinity. When they looked further ahead down the road, they saw the mayor's house, the most contemporary and luxurious house in the entire city, with its door open where dim orange light spilled out, revealing the man himself ushering out another.

"Well someone's up late." Hikaru chuckled. "I see that it's still Tanishi, huh? Is he still surrounded by scandals?"

Sai exhaled softly. "Yes. Nothing has changed here. He's still doing very well and his intents are good, but..."

"He's still Tanishi." The boy muttered, watching a man with a white suit and blond hair walking out, a suitcase in hand. "Is that his new lawyer?"

"Yes." Sai nodded when he saw the familiar red sports car parked in front of the mayor's house. He heard Hikaru whistling as soon as the man stepped into the vehicle.

"That's a pretty sick ride. Tanishi must pay a fortune to hire this one."

"Yes, his lawyer isn't exactly the definition of modest..." Sai giggled as they turned away from the sight although the intimidating roar of the engine was clear in their ears. "But I heard that he really is one of the best at the moment. I know that he has won a few difficult cases for the politicians."

"And politicians aren't exactly known for their transparency. He must be one hell of a lawyer, then." Hikaru continued as he yawned, resulting in his last sentence turning a little inaudible. "Anyway, I think I'm gonna sleep now. Night, Sai."

"Good night, Hikaru. Thank you again for today." Sai pulled the boy into a tight hug and although he wanted to struggle out of his grip, Hikaru was far too fatigued to do anything aside from sighing in resignation. Sai really had a habit of being too emotional when all Hikaru wanted to do was help him a little, a natural thing for a friend to want to do.

"Sure. See you tomorrow." Said the younger between the two as he tapped Sai on the shoulder and walked into his house. His parents were watching sports on the television and Hikaru talked to them for a few minutes before retreating into his room and threw himself onto his bed.

Although all he wanted to do was to sleep, he found himself thinking about those matches against Akira instead and he only managed to fall into a deep slumber once he managed to find a way for his cluster to live.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here comes my boy Ogata


	3. Chapter 3

Seiji never did enjoy being a lawyer.

Yes, he loved looking down on people as they slowly realised that victory was inching away from their grasp every second they allowed Seiji the luxury of talking but that was probably where his passion stopped. Upon attending Tokyo University, he realised what he was in for. Lawyers must set aside their personal moral in favour to defend their clients regardless of their case and sometimes you'd find yourself in the other end of justice. You must be one cold-hearted bastard to be a lawyer and yes, Ogata  _was_ a cold-hearted bastard.

"Seiji, are you ready?" A voice rang from the other side of the door, followed by shuffling noise of what he could only assume his mother, Kumiyo fiddling with her heels. "We need to leave in 5!"

"Coming," Seiji muttered flatly, suspecting that his answer fell on deaf ears as Kumiyo cursed when her husband called out her name from downstairs. Rolling his eyes at his parents' tendency to panic before big parties, he did one last check on the mirror and did one quick spray of his cologne before adjusting his tie and opening his bedroom door.

Once they settled into the car, still with his parents bickering next to him, Seiji sighed and pulled out his phone. The result of today's Meijin title match between Kouyou and Ichiryuu should already be released and he was dying to check the kifu. Just as he downloaded the file, his mother glanced at the screen idly, fixing her hair as she did so.

"Oh, I heard that a Go professional is coming today. Who was it again, dear?" Seiji's interest immediately skyrocketed upon hearing that and he hoped it would be someone he knew.

"Touya-sensei, I believe?"

"What?!" Seiji forgot that he was inside a moving car as he practically stood up, fast and thoughtless enough he bumped his head against the ceiling of the car and muttered a small 'ow'.

"This boy." Kumiyo shook her head at the over the top reaction his son always displayed whenever the topic of Go was involved. It was unlike his usual calm and composed demeanour. Sometimes she was amazed that he chose law over Go without much of a resistance, especially knowing that Seiji wasn't a big fan of the field. For that, she was eternally grateful.

Seiji cleared his throat when he took a seat. Out of everything that he heard the entire day, this was the one that was the most welcomed. Ever since he was a boy, he had always looked up to Kouyou and always wished to one day face him on the Go board. He knew for a fact that he wasn't a shabby player and would be able to pose at least some fight even against the title holder. Perhaps tonight his fantasy would finally be realised.

When they arrived at the hotel where the ball was supposed to take place, they allowed themselves to be ushered in after being identified by the guards. Seiji put his hands in his pocket as he wandered around the place, noticing familiar faces of politicians whom he had the displeasure of dealing with. They, too, noticed Seiji and they approached him to have a quick small talk, thanking him for the professionalism he displayed in the court.

Amidst all the fake politeness, he noticed Kouyou in the corner of his eyes. He must have been there as a representative of the professional Go world and as a man who held stellar international game records. Seiji excused himself and walked towards the man, his idol.

"Evening, Touya-sensei." He bowed slightly when he saw an opening.

The Meijin glanced at Seiji and he returned the gesture. "Ah, Ogata-san, isn't it?"

"I'm flattered you recognise me." Seiji smiled, taking a glass of champagne from the tray of the waiter who happened to be close to him.

"Anyone who is politically aware will. Your reputation truly precedes you." Kouyou answered politely as he crossed his arms in his long kimono sleeves.

"Of course. My apologies," Seiji's throat rumbled as he chuckled. There was not a single person in that room who was not up-to-date with the current affair, after all. "Congratulations for your victory in today's match. Move 92 was truly the game changer."

Kouyo's eyes widened although if one blinked, they would have missed it. The kifu was released this afternoon and no one had commented on it yet. If Seiji knew the true worth of that move, he must have an eye for the game. "Thank you. I must say that I am pleasantly surprised that you play too, Ogata-san."

"Ever since I was a boy." Seiji chuckled before taking a sip of his champagne.

The Meijin glanced around the ballroom, seeing how everyone was busy conversing amongst themselves and that no one was in any urgency to approach him. He then focused back at his conversation partner and smiled. "I fear that even after years of attending this type of gathering, I am still not used to it," He chuckled. "Would you mind indulging me in a game, Ogata-san?"

"I thought you'd never ask," Seiji smirked, somehow managed to maintain his cool despite his heart soaring with joy. "Is there anywhere we can play?"

"Of course. My son should be in there too. Like me, he has never fancied something as grand as this."

Seemed like his wife was the polar opposite, though, Seiji mused. Akiko was busy conversing with many guests and looked more comfortable than he would ever be. With that, he retreated out of the room with Kouyou and allowed himself to be led into a much quieter part of the venue.

"12-15," Akira said out loud as he placed a stone on the board. He had a phone on the desk that played a soft static noise.

_"Hm. 12-14."_  The person in the call muttered and Akira immediately leaned to put a black stone on the specified location. He placed his fingers on his chin contemplatively and it wasn't until Kouyou dragged the seat next to him that he snapped out of his trance.

"Father." He remarked, not expecting him to return so soon. 

_"WHAT?! Touya-sensei is there?!"_ The voice became exponentially louder, followed by another softer one although didn't seem any less enthusiastic than the first.  _"Oh, my! Touya-sensei?!"_

Kouyou merely smiled in amusement at the response. "Is that Shindou-kun and Fujiwara-kun?"

"Ah, yes," Akira responded bashfully as he scratched his head before he turned his attention to his father's company. "Good evening, Ogata-san." He bowed politely prior to taking his phone and putting it off loudspeaker so the two would have a relatively peaceful game. The bespectacled male nodded and replied with a greeting of his own.

Seiji's heart pounded loudly as soon as he sat in front of Kouyou. He was about to have a game against the best player in Japan. It was definitely a moment to remember. The Meijin was calm. His eyes were kind yet firm as he opened the Go bowl systematically. "Would you like to put a few stones down, Ogata-san?"

Seiji chuckled but shook his head. "No. Let's play an even game," It was something that piqued Akira's interest, made evident through the way he reflectively turned to inspect Seiji, unsure if he was a cocky lawyer or what. "I might be an amateur but please don't underestimate me, Touya-sensei."

"Nor was I about to," Kouyou answered, which made Akira even the more keen to watch the match as his phone hung against his ear. "Shall I take white?"

.

Sai gazed around the room to see that it was mostly filled up. He never expected people to so quickly be taken with the idea of a Go cafe—well, more like a host club. There were men present too despite the growing number of ladies and it was something that still felt a little alien. He was unsure if they were there to enjoy Go or because of Hikaru. Undoubtedly, the young man was getting all the attention in the world with his fans present as he never had even one second alone.

Sai, too, was in the same boat. He could tell that everyone was starting to warm up to his presence. As a result, he started to have a crowd of people surrounding him too for simultaneous games. Well, he certainly wasn't complaining! Although most of them were newbies, there were a few people who knew what they were doing and one or two were in their school's Go club. Those people were surprised that their idol, Hikaru, was an amazing Go player.

"Good afternoon." Entered Akira, precisely at 1 PM on the dot. He had a few books clutched in his arms as a sign that he had been studying for his exams prior to arriving at the Go cafe. After one week of opening day, they were starting to get used to the boy who would come in every afternoon every day to challenge Hikaru. Although he expressed his bafflement at Sai's overwhelming strength, somehow he still chose to play Hikaru most of the time.

"Hey!" Hikaru lifted his hand to greet the boy who nodded at Sai before promptly observing the few boards surrounding Hikaru.

"Touya-san!" Some of the girls greeted. It seemed that it wasn't only Hikaru and Sai who had gotten accustomed to Akira's daily presence. Some of the girls and boys were starting to be taken by the retired professional, especially his patient and kind tone. What made them really look forward to his visit wasn't only that, however. It was also to have a laugh at Hikaru and Akira's interactions and how the two seemed to start to respect each other enough to start screaming at each other.

"Oh. Is this your game, Mimi-san?" Akira blinked, his fingers on his chin thoughtfully. "This is a good game." He said, smiling at the girl who immediately squealed and buried her face in her hands. Oblivious to why exactly she had that reaction, Akira continued. "Seems like you've found a great Go club in your school." He smiled before taking a seat on one of the empty boards.

"Here you go, Akira-kun," Riko said as she laid down a cup of tea next to the boy. "Made exactly how you like it."

Akira didn't waste any time to take a small sip and let out a small sigh of contentment. The warm liquid trickled into his stomach, warming him up from within. Even when his mouth was left empty, he could still taste a tinge of bitterness, the natural matcha flavour. "This is wonderful. Thank you, Fujiwara-san."

"You hung up on me yesterday." Hikaru scowled when Akira placed his first stone.

"Did I?" The boy blinked before making a small 'ah' with his lips. "I did. Sorry." He rubbed the back of his head as he watched Hikaru replying to Kenichi's hand next to him. "Something interesting happened."

"More interesting than our game?" He seemed so legitimately taken aback it made Sai chuckle. Both of them had really grown to be close in such a short time. Well, in their own quirky way, at least.

"If I tell you that my father was struggling, somewhat, against an amateur, would you not find it interesting too?" Akira muttered, thinking back to last night. He could hardly believe that someone with that skill was an amateur. "He was as strong as Fujiwara-sensei..." Akira mulled.

"What?" Hikaru and Sai both asked simultaneously, the prior looking legitimately surprised and the latter brimming with enthusiasm.

"I wasn't expecting to find a game like that during a political gathering," Akira said while Hikaru's lips were still slightly parted. This time, his curiosity piqued. "Especially not from a lawyer as esteemed as Ogata-san."

"Tanishi's lawyer?" Sai blinked when he heard the name of Ogata Seiji. Certainly, the man seemed far too modern and involved in his career to be any more than decent at Go. This certainly was a pleasant news indeed. "Do you remember what the game looked like?"

"I can show it to you later." He nodded, implying that they would only find out after the cafe closed for the day. "Look, Shindou. You missed what Mimi-san did on the board."

"Oh, crap!" Hikaru fumbled after effectively snapping back to Earth. "Which one... which one..."

"This one!" Mimi pouted, curling her lips in the process.

"That's right. Sorry, sorry!" The boy laughed as he scratched the back of his head. "Mm. Mm! This is good." Hikaru smiled when she took advantage of his cutting point just as he had explained earlier. "Very good!"

The high schooler couldn't help giggling in response to Hikaru's clumsiness. He was far too easy to distract it was adorable. As a result, no one could ever stay sulky on him. After all, it was just how he was, unlike Sai who always ensured that everyone he was playing against would get his undivided attention.

"So I heard that your Go club is going to compete this year?" Hikaru shifted his attention to the boy next to Akira, Kenichi. "Are you guys gonna kick Kaio's ass?" He grinned while stealing indiscreet glances at Akira's way, someone whom he knew was Kaio's alumni. The boy merely shook his head as an answer.

"We'll do our best!" He grinned, making a V with his fingers. "We're still in the process of deciding our first, second and third boards, though."

"Don't worry. I'll get you to the first board," Hikaru chuckled with mirth. "And they won't know what hit them."

"I'm counting on you, Shindou-sensei." Kenichi laughed, obviously chuffed that he had assistance on this matter.

The rest of the day quickly came to a pass and the guests started leaving one by one, some not forgetting to purchase some sweets from the confectionery store. It was always handled by a far-too-excited Sai and Riko who only giggled at his attitude. This time was slightly different, however. As just a few minutes after the last guest left, someone they weren't expecting walked into the store.

He had a trail of smokes coming out of his lips as he observed his surroundings and finally the display.

"Hm," He hummed in half-interest when he laid his eyes on the range of mochi variety.

"Ogata-san?" Akira blinked, followed by Hikaru and Sai who immediately popped their heads from inside the room to take a look outside.

"Hello, Touya-kun." Seiji regarded with a nod. "Your father told me that you'd be here. I happened to be in the area for business, so I thought I'd come to visit." When the two others walked towards the register, Seiji pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "These must be the noisy one and the less noisy one."

Akira couldn't help a chuckle at the too-accurate description. "Yes. Yes, they are." He smiled only to be smacked on the shoulder by Hikaru who was quick to glower at him.

"Still, I'm surprised to find a Go cafe in this wilted arcade." Continued Seiji. He already heard talks that it was soon going to be shut down. Of course, they were still rumours but they always had the tendency to be correct. "Why are you wasting your time here?"

"What do you mean by that?" Hikaru quickly cut in before Akira could say anything. He crossed his hands and scowled at the older man, offended that he said something so offensive twice in a row.

Seiji thought back to what he just said and immediately sighed. He really had a knack to say something that made him sound like a dick when he wasn't in work-mode. It was the metaphorical switch inside him that he had to blame for the many fights he caused with his friends. Whatever, he thought. It wasn't like anyone in that Go cafe was anyone precious to him.

"With how everything looks, it won't be a shock if you sink too." He said. "It would've been better if you open a Go cafe somewhere with more foot traffic."

"There's no point in doing that!" Hikaru exclaimed defensively and Sai was in the background trying to stop the boy from getting riled up to no avail. "Don't start talking when you have no idea about the real situation."

"Hikaru, please." Sai said softly, shaking the boy by the shoulder.

"But Sai, he's—"

"Hikaru. It's okay." Sai assured before stepping forward to stand in front of Seiji. Despite his sharp tongue, Sai felt no animosity from the man. It was as if it wasn't his intention to offend them and the provocation was merely a product of his poor social skill. It was odd, especially given his line of work that required him to constantly deal with politicians.

Seiji gave Sai a one over before turning his eyes to Akira once more. "Is this...?"

"Yes, this is Fujiwara-san." He quickly answered.

"Hm..." Seiji muttered in interest. He seemed like such a traditional man who reminded Seiji of Kouyou. He then nodded and put a hand in his pocket. "Well, will you have a game with me, Fujiwara-san?"

"Wait!" Hikaru hissed. "If you wanna play Sai, you have to beat me first."

Akira almost planted his face onto his hand. "Shindou..." He sighed, unsure of how to stop him. Akira himself wasn't even entirely certain that he would be able to beat Seiji. If he had stayed in the professional world and honed his skill, he would have no doubt about his victory, but as he was right now, it would only be by a slim margin or perhaps none at all.

Akira's train of thought was interrupted by Ogata's snicker. Certainly very confident of his skill, he scoffed at Hikaru's request but not refusing him. "All right," He said, amused. "Why not."

Sai sighed at Hikaru's attitude, shaking his head. Playing Go while riled up wasn't the best course of action and if Seiji was as skilful as Akira described, Hikaru would have no chance unless he was in the right headspace. Sai wanted to remind Hikaru but it seemed that the boy was far too riled up to be reasoned with and Seiji told him that the hard way.

By the time Sai and Seiji started their game, Hikaru was still fuming and it seemed that Akira wasn't on his side as he shook his head and sighed. "You should have cooled your head first before playing. Maybe you'd actually stand a chance then."

"I know, I know." Hikaru growled as he begrudgingly made his way towards the occupied board to observe the match. As much as he hated to admit it, Seiji  _was_ good. And Akira was right, he was perhaps even as strong as Sai. As if one monstrous amateur wasn't enough, now there were two of them.

They quietly observed the match. Both players seemed to be playing cautiously as if testing the waters and rightfully so. By the time the middle game rolled around, there were already a few complex fights happening on the board that Hikaru wondered how exactly they were going to be solved and in which order. All of them seemed far too grave to lose.

"Hm. You're surprisingly good." Seiji hummed, smirking as he leaned back in the chair with his arms crossed.

Although it was directed at Sai, Hikaru felt his vein popping. What was  _that_ supposed to mean? Anything that came out of Seiji's mouth really sounded like an insult. It was either he really was an ass or he was an unintentional dick. Either way, Hikaru wanted to punch that smirk out of his face.

"Ah, but you're keeping up with me." Sai replied with a smile.

"Stole the words right out of my mouth," Seiji chuckled as he placed a stone. "You are leaps and bounds better than your friend who can't seem to set aside his emotion from his game."

"You have a sharp tongue, Ogata-san."

"I've heard that a thousand times before."

"It will get you in trouble someday."

"It has brought me this far. I doubt I will blunder now, Fujiwara-san."

Awfully cocky, or rather, confident. However, he had the skill to back up his boasts. Had he been a professional, he would for sure play an important role in giving tough love to the younger generation.

"Any reason why you are fooling around with the idea of a Go cafe?" Seiji asked as he pondered his next move, genuinely curious. After all, Sai was undoubtedly brilliant. Definitely, the best amateur he had ever had the pleasure of facing.

"Only if you are willing to tell me your story." Sai replied just as patiently as he had been for the duration of the match even though Seiji's filter was completely turned off. It made Hikaru wonder just how exactly he was so tolerant.

"I'm afraid you have to take me out to dinner first." Seiji smiled, intentionally lowering his voice as he adjusted his glasses. It must be a personal reason, whatever it was. In actuality, Seiji had no qualms about disclosing his story since it was quite straightforward. However, it was his damn ego that made him refuse to say anything when his conversational partner wasn't willing to. "I resign. Good game, Fujiwara-san."

"Good game, indeed," Sai bowed his head and Seiji followed the formality. He then brushed his sleeves back to check on his watch and then at the door. "I might come back."

"Don't." Hikaru murmured under his breath which was swiftly responded with a smack on the shoulder by Sai who still managed to maintain a large smile.

"Of course! I'll be eagerly waiting for your next visit."

"Oh my god, Sai. How do you stand him?!" Exclaimed Hikaru as soon as Seiji disappeared. The door was thin and the man for sure would be able to hear him but Hikaru had no care.

"If you squint, you can tell that he means well." Sai giggled as he cleaned the board with Akira's help. The game was a close one and he was glad to find out that Seiji was every bit as skilful as Akira made him out to be.

"Yeah, I think you're the only one who can do that." Said Hikaru, eyes rolling. "Anyway, let's clean up!"

"I'll help." Akira was quick to offer and despite both Sai and Hikaru refusing for the past few days, the boy was quite adamant about giving them a hand so they learned to just let him do whatever he wanted. If there was anything that they learned about him, it was that once he was determined to do something, no one would be able to stop him.

"When's your exam?" Upon glancing at the stack of books neatly arranged near the door, he decided to ask.

"In a couple of weeks. After that, I just have to wait for my graduation," He answered but not with a troubled tone. "I can't imagine myself working in an office."

"I think you'll fit in just fine! I mean, you're polite and you seem smart."

"As opposed to you?" Sai laughed, making Hikaru want nothing more than to fling a Go stone at his friend. However, Sai would undoubtedly be extremely upset if he dared to be rough with any Go equipment, so he just inhaled deeply to calm himself down.

Akira chuckled at the childish interaction. "Well, it's more like I have no passion for accounting."

"Can't you just go back to being a professional?"

"I can, but..." Akira trailed off, a sign that he wasn't willing to elaborate on the matter just yet. "Not now. I won't go back until I'm ready."

Sai nodded in understanding when Hikaru fell silent. There was a hint of pain in Akira's tone and although Sai would like to know what it was that made him leave in the first place, he felt like he shouldn't impose. Whatever it was, it must be immensely serious for him. After all, he could tell just how much Akira loved Go.

"All right, that should be it," Sai huffed when the last Go bowl was in a perfect alignment and everything been dusted. "Thanks for your help again, Akira-kun. You should join us as a teacher!" He smiled.

Akira only gave Sai a small chuckle at the abrupt proposal before he was interrupted by Hikaru who yawned loudly as he stretched his spine.

"God, I need to hit the gym again." He said, not wanting Go to chip away his physique and make him a lanky, skinny young man. A long morning jog was in order tomorrow morning, he decided.

Taking his books, Akira bid his goodbye and promised to come again tomorrow after he was finished with his studies. He still had a fair bit to go if he wanted to get the best mark possible and although he wanted nothing more than to play against Sai and Hikaru, this was something that he had to see through to the end. As he was right now, he was still reluctant to join his father at the professional scene once more. He had to find a job as soon as he was finished with university and... and well, he didn't want to be trapped in an office cubicle for hours on end either.

Akira sighed. Life sure was difficult.

However, as Akira turned back to glance at Fujiwara Confectionery, he wondered if taking up Sai's offer to join them would be a wise idea. Playing against the two amateurs, especially Hikaru, reawakened his love for the game, putting him just that much closer to the answer he was seeking. Perhaps with time, he would be able to take a leap into the spotlight at last. And hopefully, he would be acknowledged as Akira rather than Touya.

Akira might not be inclined to play against weak opponents but this time, it was an entirely different scenario. Those people just picked up Go. They were not familiar with the professional world and the name Touya wasn't something that they recognised. There, he could play without being raised on a pedestal. He had no idea just how refreshing it was, seeing young men and women picking up the game for the first time and watching them grow first hand.

Yes, Akira decided. Perhaps it would be for the best that he joined Sai and Hikaru. He wasn't sure what his father would have to say about it but he had always been nothing but supportive. He couldn't imagine him opposing the idea although he might frown at it in confusion.

Well, for now, study first. Go later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ogata and Sai are on the same skill level (Sai is not 1000 years old!)  
> Akira is just very slightly under them since he hasn't practised too much after he quit.  
> Hikaru is weaker than Akira just because he has been very focused on his soccer :)


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know where this fic is going either ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯ I'm just enjoying writing it so who cares, right? HAHAHA. Probably gonna end in like 3 more chapters... unless my muse is being fed, of course.

"Stay calm, Sai. Stay calm." Hikaru said in quick succession with his hands stuffed deep in his pocket. All around him were amateur Go players versing each other in a tournament and Hikaru would have watched had Akira's father not been there with him in all of his Meijin glory that it made Sai stare, completely star-struck. He said nothing for a few minutes, untrue to his usual talkative self. Well, Hikaru wasn't going to blame him. After all, the  _Meijin_ was there. Right in front of their faces. Approaching them.

"You must be Shindou-kun and Fujiwara-kun," He said gently, how unlike the stern and intimidating facade he put on when he was in front of a Go board. The two nodded simultaneously, suddenly finding their tongues tied. "Akira told me so much about you."

"Father..." Akira complained weakly but not objecting. He then looked at Hikaru and Sai, slightly embarrassed that his friends were staring with their mouths agape.

Kouyou chuckled at his son's reaction before he settled into a more relaxed stance but still managed to look commanding at the same time. "To be able to get Akira to play again is quite a feat. Perhaps I ought to visit this Go cafe of yours in the future."

"Y-Yes!" Sai stammered a little too quickly, a tinge of red was clear on his cheeks, most definitely because he was standing face-to-face with his lifelong idol. "That would be an honour, Touya-sensei. Really!" Seeing such eager response, Hikaru snorted. Sai was such a fanboy for Kouyou's skill and attitude towards Go and this meeting only served to cement that fact.

"Sai really wants to play you, Touya-sensei!" Hikaru jumped into the conversation as he grabbed his friend by the shoulder and pointed at him.

"H-H-Hikaru!" He flailed, pulling away from the boy's touch.

Hikaru quickly closed the distance between them and laughed. "He's pretty good. Even better than that Ogata."

"I wouldn't say I'm better..." Sai trailed off, thinking back to the few matches in the past three months. It had been back and forth and so far, they were even, if anyone bothered to keep score.

"Really, now?" Kouyou's eyes widened slightly at the mention of the lawyer whom he had the opportunity of facing. He had such natural talent for Go that Kouyou wished he had gone professional. If there was another amateur at his level, he wondered how just many others there were. "Are you two participating in the tournament?"

"We finished our game," Hikaru answered swiftly, resting his head on his hands, then he scowled. "Why aren't you playing, Akira? Seriously..."

"I..." Akira pursed his lips, not wanting to sound full of himself by saying that his presence might intimidate most of the players. Causing drama was the last thing that he wanted to do. "Yeah..."

Kouyou glanced at how his son's mood seemed to stoop and how he looked away from his friends. He closed his eyes, knowing full well the reason why Akira chose to not participate. His son might be very secretive about the reason for his premature retirement but as a father, he understood full well what it was. He just wished that there was something he could do about it instead of watching Akira's talent wasting away. However, Kouyou had a feeling that Akira's newfound friends might be able to bring out the best in him

"This is the first time I've been to anything like this. How impressive. Everyone is so fired up." Was the first thing that Sai said without stuttering even though he still seemed to be overwhelmed. Akira did give them a heads up that his father was going to be attending too but even that wasn't sufficient for Sai.

Seeing the glimmer in Sai's eyes, Kouyou nodded, smiling as he did so. It was a relief to witness that even the younger generation saw the charm of Go.

"Oh, Touya-kun?" A man suddenly called out upon noticing the Meijin's son presence. "How long has it been?"

"Good afternoon, Ashiwara-san... no. Sensei now, isn't it?" He smiled politely although his voice was adorned with hesitance as if he was the last person Akira wanted to see.

"Ah, Ashiwara," Kouyou regarded as he moved to stand in front of Akira. "Perfect timing. The match in hall B can use your help. I believe they are short on commentators."

"Huh?" The man blinked, unsure as to where that came from. "But, I..." He looked at Akira who was only half visible behind Kouyou.

The Meijin shook his head lightly. Ashiwara was still as oblivious as ever, it seemed. Anyone would have gotten the hint that at the moment, Akira didn't want to meet or speak to those whom he used to be close with during his time in the professional scene. Kouyou wasn't certain when Akira would be ready but he promised himself to help his son the best he could.

"Should we go check out the other matches? Whom are we playing against next round?" Hikaru started, grabbing Sai and Akira's sleeves as he dragged them towards the main board in the front of the room. "I can't wait to beat you, Sai!"

"You barely won last round." Akira muttered, making Hikaru grumble.

"Just you watch!" He yelled out. "I'm gonna kick Sai's ass this time!"

"You've said that for the past how many times now?" The other male sighed at Hikaru's vibrant attitude. It wasn't bad by all means. If anything, it was infectious. Akira wished that he had half of the enthusiasm that Hikaru had for Go nowadays. Had he been present those years ago in the professional scene, everything would perhaps turn out differently. Perhaps being eternal rivals or sorts? Akira chuckled at such thought.

"Hikaru-sensei!" A melodic voice became audible from behind the three, followed by quick footsteps as a cue for them to turn around. "Sai-sensei and Akira-sensei too. Good morning!"

"Oh, so you two  _are_  here." Hikaru grinned. "How did your matches go?"

"We won!" Both girls squealed, making peace signs in sync. "Only barely, but we won!"

Next to Hikaru, Sai made a noise of delight as he pretty much body slammed the two girls in an affectionate hug. "That's amazing! I knew you can do it." He smiled with pride before pulling away. "Now, do you remember the game?"

"Uh..." They laughed nervously, shaking their heads.

Sai immediately sulked and crossed his hands. "You should at least remember the first twenty moves you make! That way at least we can go through the game together. I really want to see them!"

"Don't be so hard on them, Fujiwara-san." Akira stepped forward before giving the two a soft smile. "Although it is always helpful to remember your games."

"Dissing Sai and then saying the exact same thing he said. Nice." Hikaru snorted which was promptly followed by a glare from Akira.

Miyu and Rin laughed at the very typical conversation between Akira and Hikaru. "Is Ogata-san not participating?" They then asked. The blond was slowly becoming a familiar face in the Go cafe, after all, and all three of them noticed that he started to gain a bit of a crowd too around him on a daily basis, although all of them were girls.

It was the one thing that Sai really was confused about. With the guys, Seiji was rough and crude, filter always seemed to be turned off but when it came to girls, he was as smooth as cream cheese on a toast. And although he was slowly warming up to Hikaru, Akira and Sai, he would still say distasteful things that always provoked Hikaru into screaming at him. He could start to count the number of times Hikaru almost flipped the Go board when he lost against Seiji. It was entertaining, of course, but it was starting to be a more common occurrence that nowadays, everyone in the Go cafe started to anticipate it.

"No. I believe he has court today?" Akira answered, still with a smile. However, he knew full well that a tournament wasn't Seiji's cup of tea. He seemed content playing against someone of his skill level, namely Sai and sometimes Akira. He also appeared to enjoy trampling Hikaru flat to the ground, much to the boy's dismay.

"Being a lawyer is such a fitting job for him, that cold-hearted monster." Hikaru scowled which in turn, made Sai laugh. Hikaru really hated Seiji's guts. However, as odd as it might be, Sai couldn't help being rather fond of his sharp tongue. He was so brutally honest about his feelings. An intense man, just like his Go.

"All right, seems like the next round is about to start soon. Should we get ready?" Sai giggled and started making his way towards the match area.

.

By the end of it, Sai won the last match against Hikaru by a landslide, as expected. Hikaru wasn't exactly playing his best game since he had always been a volatile player. Sometimes he would just lose by the skin of his teeth and other times, completely dominated and demolished much like that evening.

Kouyou was there to watch the final match and he looked thoroughly impressed by Sai's skill and knew that that wasn't all there was to Hikaru. Although he didn't propose a match out of sheer curiosity the way he did with Seiji, Akira could tell that his father was definitely interested in seeing just what would happen if Seiji and Sai kept playing against each other, improving together. And above all, this concept of a Go cafe also fascinated him, Akira could tell.

As Sai took a bite of the strawberry crepe in his hand, Akira glanced at him and called out, "Fujiwara-san."

"Hm?" The addressed male responded with some icing sugar around his lips.

"I never asked, but... why are you not a professional?" At the pause, Akira added. "Ah, you don't have to answer if you feel uncomfortable with the topic."

"Ah..." Sai trailed off, thinking about a good way to phrase his words in a way that wouldn't spike concern. "I... I'm not well." He finally said after a pregnant pause that made Akira think that the question wasn't about to get answered.

Immediately, he turned his head to the side and his heart suddenly ached. Was sai sickly? Sure, the man looked frail but no one would have guessed from how positively he acted every single day as if he had never had a single bad day in his life. And an illness that yanked him away from the professional Go scene must be grave indeed.

A soccer professional who was forced to retire early due to injury and a talented Go player unable to reach his ideal career due to an illness. And here stood Akira who left his dream for something as simple as not being recognised as Touya Akira instead of the son of the Meijin. It burned him with shame and he felt his skin being prickled. For the first time, he regretted not continuing with Go when he had the chance. He regretted running away.

"Akira-kun?" Sai placed a hand on the boy's shoulder gently. "You must have quit being a professional for a good reason too. I will not ask you what it is but please don't feel like it's any less valid than mine." He explained calmly as if reading into Akira's mind. "At the end of the day, isn't it our passion that matters? As long as we do not lose our love for the game, I consider that a win."

"I... suppose." The boy nodded although still seemed to be a little embarrassed. "You're right, Fujiwara-san." Akira smiled. His passion and love for Go were what guided him and if those were the aspects that he should hold on to then his decision to leave was the right call. "In that case..." Continued Akira in a hesitant tone. "I might take you up on the offer to work in the Go cafe, after all, Fujiwara-san."

Sai might as well drop the crepe in his hand from the attention he was giving it. He stayed there with Hikaru, frozen on their track, so silent for a few seconds before they swiftly took a huge step towards Akira.

"Really?!" Sai pushed his head forward, now merely inches away from the younger male's.

"Seriously serious?" Even Hikaru was in shock at the sudden proposition. He certainly wasn't expecting this, not by a long shot. Even though Akira seemed to enjoy himself in the Go Cafe, he never thought that he would ever agree to join them as a staff. After all, he was  _the_ Touya Akira.

The crowded man laughed bashfully as he rubbed the back of his head. "Ah... yes." When his friends finally pulled away to give him some space, Akira inhaled. "Playing with both of you and everyone else... it's as if I'm re-discovering the game again. It's very refreshing." He continued with a smile.

"That's wonderful!" Sai choked out, practically in tears upon hearing Akira's decision. "You will be such a good fit! And everyone loves you already, Akira-kun, I included!" He sobbed as he threw his whole weight on Akira, almost making the poor boy tumble in the process. "And Hikaru too! Right, Hikaru?"

"Nope." He quickly denied but couldn't stop himself from getting pulled into the group hug anyway.

After a few seconds of suffocation, Sai managed to find the strength to release Akira who immediately wheezed for air. "So, when are you going to start, Akira-kun? Ah, we have so much to talk about!"

The boy chuckled at Sai's typical vibrant attitude before settling into his usual composure. "Well, since my exam is over already, I can start as soon as you'd like me to."

Sai nodded firmly and smiled. "And for payment—"

"Oh, please. There's no need for that," Akira quickly replied. "All the payment I need is Go, Fujiwara-san."

"But are you sure?" The long-haired male muttered, feeling a little guilty. "Do you need anything else? Free sweets, perhaps?"

"It's completely fine," The boy laughed. "I have almost forgotten what joy it is to see the limitless possibility of each game. I would never have thought that I would once again discover this by playing with new amateurs. You have given me this much and I cannot possibly ask for more."

Upon hearing that, Sai's expression melted into a much more tender one, as if only now understanding the reason behind Akira's retirement. "It must have been harsh on you, Akira-kun." He whispered.

Akira blinked, for a moment unsure of what Sai was talking about. But then he remembered just how sharp he was, so Akira slowly nodded. How he wished it wasn't so.

The long-haired male placed his hand on Akira's back and smiled. "Well, I hope that one day you will be able to take the leap once more."

"I hope so too." Smiling, Akira's eyes shifted to face the horizon where the sun started to set. However, he couldn't deny the dread that started to take over his mind. His break from Go had been far too long that he couldn't help wondering if it was too late for him to return. 

"Hey!" Hikaru exclaimed, flinging his arm around Akira's shoulders playfully. "Don't look so gloomy. Just take life easier, will you? You're gonna turn into Ogata if you keep brooding like that."

The other male smiled, grateful for Hikaru's sorry attempt at cheering him up that actually worked. There really was something about Hikaru that always seemed to manage to lift people's spirits.

"Turn into who, now?" A voice echoed from behind them, followed by a large hand that slammed itself right on Hikaru's head, making the boy groan and then yell when it ruffled his hair.

"Stop, you monster!" Hikaru flailed and turned around, shoving Seiji away. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"I paid Touya-sensei a visit and to see what I missed." The blond nodded when he saw Sai as a greeting. "Congratulation for winning the tournament, Fujiwara-san. Twenty-five thousand yen is a decent prize money for a tournament that scale."

"It will definitely help to buy new boards!" Sai smiled, obviously chuffed at the sum he received. He could purchase two good Go-ban with that or one great one. "Although it's a shame that you couldn't participate, Ogata-san!"

"I would've liked to play you in a more formal setting." The addressed male smiled, a little dismayed that he had court at the exact same time the tournament started.

"Argh!" Hikaru suddenly yelled out as if an epiphany just dawned on him, making all three men turn their heads to face the boy. "It's Chihaya-chan's birthday tomorrow. We need to make something special! She's already promised that she'll be there."

 Akira blinked before clapping his hands together once at the sudden realisation. "She said she wanted to play you, Ogata-san."

"Hm, the little lady with pigtails," Seiji nodded, recalling her habits of always wanting to play Hikaru. He wondered what brought upon her this idea and he was a little hesitant at playing against a low-levelled amateur. However, it was her special day and perhaps it wouldn't hurt to give it a go, he decided. "All right, sure." He then said.

As if not expecting the lack of objection, Hikaru gasped. "What? Really?"

"Should I feel offended?" Seiji squinted at the boy who immediately stuck out his tongue at him, followed by a smack on the back of the head by Sai. Ah, Sai. Where would Hikaru be without him? Seiji mused. "I'll be there tomorrow. I'll try." He quickly corrected after remembering the stack of paperwork he had to settle.

Hearing that, Sai's eyes softened. The hunch he had that day was correct, after all. Seiji was a good person but he just didn't always know how to express his feelings.

As Sai fell deep in thought, Akira and Hikaru walked ahead of him as they talked about the tournament with a loud voice, a sign that they would start screaming at each other very soon. It was something that he was, unfortunately, getting quite used to. Such children, they both were.

"Fujiwara-san," Seiji called out, snapping the man out of his head. "If your Go cafe ever needs any help with finances, you can just tell me." He muttered softly, surprising even himself that he was willing to go this far for the quaint little place.

It was obviously something that Sai wasn't expecting to hear, so the silence was understandable. He then slowly turned his head to look at Seiji, judging if he was pulling his leg or being serious. "Truly, Ogata-san?" He questioned curiously and it was swiftly answered with a small nod.

"I do have extra money I can spare." He smiled. Your Go cafe is not like the others, he wanted to say. There was something about that place that made him wish he had pursued a career in Go instead of law. It was a feeling that he never thought he would encounter again.

"That is much appreciated." Sai sighed in joy, glad that Seiji had his back in case everything turned sour. Ah, how nice it would be if Seiji could show this face of his more often.

.

The cafe had grown significantly from only having around ten guests a day, which in itself was already an impressive enough achievement, into around thirty or even forty on a good day. It was starting to get difficult to keep track of everyone and it was only thanks to their impeccable memory that they were able to. It was also why Akira's decision to join them was very much appreciated. Not only was he a good fit for the team, everyone else was already warmed up to the boy, a permanent fixture nowadays, especially after his exams finished.

How relieved Sai was when he realised that this wasn't only going to be something that could only pull people for a few weeks, considering the ulterior motive of the guests visiting the cafe. As a result, Fujiwara Confectionary garnered a lot more business, especially when the guests realised that Sai helped to make some of the sweets.

"Ah, he really is here." Came a soft, smooth voice from the door, followed by a rough grumble.

Hikaru turned his head to find two men, one tall with raven hair and the other shorter with brown hair. "Welcome!" He smiled.

"Oh?" Sai blinked, immediately noticing the identity of the newcomers. He took a stand and smiled. "Isumi-sensei and Waya-sensei?"

The brunette's eyes widened in surprise when he heard the mention of his name. He wasn't the most well-known professional ever, after all. However, when he saw Akira in the corner of his eyes, his mood soon dropped. He wasn't entirely sure why he decided to chase down the retired professional even if he was never fond of him in the first place.

"Good evening." Isumi bobbed his head down gently, face calm even though he was just as surprised as Waya was to be recognised in a small Go cafe such as this one.

Akira gazed at the two guests for a moment before he made a soft 'ah' noise. Although he didn't remember the brunette's name, he recognised him. The other man, however, he wasn't sure. Nevertheless, it was always a pleasant surprise to see professionals walking through the door.

Everyone else in the room quickly turned to the door too when they heard Sai referring to the two as 'sensei' because it meant some professionals had just visited.

"Is it just a thing for people who are good at Go to be good looking?" One girl raised a little louder than she expected, making everyone else snort when she stammered, trying to realise why exactly she said it out loud.

Isumi's cheeks turned pinkish upon hearing that and he quickly covered it up by looking away with a hand on the back of his neck.

"So the rumour was right," Waya approached Akira with loud footsteps. "You're playing here?"

"Ah, yes..." Akira tentatively answered when he saw the less-than-pleased expression on the brunette.

"Why?" With his arms crossed, he continued glaring.

"Why?" Akira frowned at the sharp tone of accusation. It was obvious that Waya thought that he had the right to dictate what he should and should not do all based solely on his own values. That was precisely why Akira actively avoided any professionals because he would never be safe from those prodding questions that he came to have little tolerance with.

"That's his problem, isn't it?" Hikaru cut in after seeing how disturbed Akira seemed to be. "If he doesn't enjoy being a professional, why should he continue being one?"

There was a clear look of surprise on Waya's face upon hearing Hikaru's words. He opened his mouth to respond but after realising that he had nothing to defend himself with, he quickly shut it again.

"I... I apologise for my friend's behaviour," Isumi stepped forward, placing his hand on Waya's shoulder as he did so. "Waya, I told you to not cause a scene!"

"I was just asking a question!" The brunette jabbed both of his hands forward defensively.

"Hah!" One of the boys snorted. "He's  _exactly_ like you, Hikaru-sensei." It was followed by a series of giggles from the girls who wholeheartedly agreed. It really was something that they could envision Hikaru doing.

"No way!" The boy came to a stand to defend himself, his cheeks tinged red with slight embarrassment. "Geez, how lowly do you guys think of me?"

"Excuse me?" Waya hissed.

"What?" Hikaru snapped as if challenging the other male.

"Ah, I see what you mean now, Kaze-san." Akira agreed after witnessing the short interaction. Both of them seemed to be the spontaneous, hot-headed and lively types. When two people of those same personality types encountered each other, it wouldn't be a pleasant conversation indeed.

"Please, calm down you two!" Sai was quick to stand between the two men to prevent any fights from breaking out. "Or I will throw the both of you outside."

Knowing Sai, Hikaru wouldn't put that beyond him, so he sighed and took a seat next to Akira although still disgruntled.

The two swiftly apologised and sat down to have some games. They were good, as expected from professionals. It did take a while but Isumi did get the better of Hikaru with a decent margin. The professional expressed his awe at the level that Hikaru was playing at and it was a compliment that made the amateur swell with pride. He posed some fight against a professional 5-dan player and it was something that he would be able to boast about later.

Their post-game discussion was interrupted when he heard a loud slam next to them and a Waya whose eyes widened in surprise.

"You can't possibly be an amateur." His Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed thickly.

The chitter chatter in the room soon died down and it was replaced with a dense, tense aura as Hikaru and Isumi approached the table.

Sai won by two and a half moku. Against a 5-dan professional.

"Waya lost?" Isumi's eyes quivered with both fear and respect for Sai, an unknown amateur. Was it luck that carried him through? No, it couldn't be, Isumi thought. There was far too much finesse on the board for it to be a fluke.

"Who are you?" The brunette finally mustered up enough strength to ask.

And why aren't you a professional? Isumi said in his head.

"Ah..." Sai muttered nervously upon seeing the curiosity that instilled in his opponent's eyes. "My name is Fujiwara Sai."

"Fujiwara..." Waya nodded. "Rematch!" He quickly added as he sat down.

"Well, there's another potential regular face." Hikaru and Akira chuckled with mirth as they walked back to their tables. It was truly fascinating just what effect Sai's Go had on others, they included.

The second time around, Isumi sat next to Waya and Sai to closely observe the match as Akira and Hikaru tended to the other guests who, they were pleased to say, were getting a lot better. They certainly had done their homework, playing online or at their schools. How lovely it was.

"Ogata's not here yet." After glancing at the clock, Hikaru said in a troubled voice.

Akira silently nodded although he also seemed to be a little wary, eyes shifting to Chihaya who was observing Sai and Waya's match along with Isumi. Was Seiji going to back out on his words and disappoint the poor girl?

As time ticked on, it seemed that it really was the case. Hikaru was on edge the entire time, fingers drumming on the table, posture shifting every so often. By the time Waya claimed his third loss and Sai admitting that he had gotten a lot better at the game thanks to Seiji, Hikaru was pretty much ready to apologise to Chihaya in Seiji's behalf.

"Akira, I think we should..."

"Five more minutes." Akira said, forcing Hikaru back to a seating position.

"I should go home. It's late already." Chihaya said as if on cue.

"Ah!" Sai stammered upon realising that it was time to close and that Seiji was nowhere to be seen. "Ogata-san..." He sighed.

"It's okay, it's okay!" She smiled although disappointment was clear in her voice. Seiji was not the easiest to approach but he was skilful, and Sai knew that Chihaya had been keen on seeing just what Seiji could teach her. It seemed that she looked up to his Go and perhaps him as a person too, as she expressed her interest in pursuing a career in law. It must have come as a surprise that one of the top lawyers in recent time frequented the Go cafe too.

"I will be sure to give him an earful!" Sai curled his lips in displeasure, vowing to demolish Seiji in their next game. How dare he?

"Sai." Came a soft voice that belonged to none other than his mother. She opened the door with a smile as Chihaya started packing up her bag. "Someone came in just then and gave me this. He said it was for Chihaya-chan."

The girl in topic blinked and approached Riko to take the small plastic bag. Upon closer inspection, she noticed the distinct smell of cake.

"Oh, my!" Sai gasped in delight when he saw a beautifully decorated strawberry shortcake that seemed to be fully handmade. The red fruit glistened, showing its freshness and quality, and Chihaya's eyes glimmered with surprise. Inside the bag was a note, written in very neat handwriting.

_I'll make it up to you. Hope the cake tastes good. Happy birthday, Chihaya._

When the girl made what could be considered a dying whale noise, Sai giggled. Ah, Seiji had soft spots for the ladies, it seemed.

"Oh, so that's why the bastard's not here," Hikaru grumbled with his arms on his hips, eyes focused on the TV in the corner of the room. It was time for the evening news and it seemed that they were live in front of a court. Seiji was there as a politician's lawyer, always with his stoic and stern, cold expression. "He could've told us."

"But Ogata-san bakes?" Akira seemed to be in a state of disbelief at the image of someone like Seiji meticulously decorating a cake.

"That's... gross." Hikaru added, obviously having the exact same image in his head.

"That's lovely!" Sai giggled, his cheeks turning a little red at the thought. He must ask Seiji what exactly was the cause for this skill of his. Perhaps he was wrong. Perhaps Seiji might be a good fit for the Go cafe, after all. Ah, if only he wasn't so occupied with his job, Sai would propose for him to join his growing gang of misfits.

Well, he might give it a go the next time they met.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tfw u so tired u posted the chapter at the wrong fic *facepalms*  
> Anyway I'm wrapping it up at the next chapter because I wanna move on to something else and I'm impatient... that and I don't wanna write anything while I'm already writing something...
> 
> I'm sorry. I'm not doing this idea justice! I have so many issues I have to address... I never touched in Sai's illness or Hikaru's injury... Or Ogata's job and his reason to not go professional... ARGH!

 "We should do something cool for the cafe!" Hikaru yelled out as he burst into the room, still with wet hair and towel slung over his shoulder. "Like a small tournament or something."

"Put a shirt on, Hikaru!" Sai flailed, a little scandalised by his friend's lack of decency, especially in front of Akira.

"What? We're all guys here," Frowning, Hikaru proceeded to brush Sai out of his way and sat on the free chair to see a game already happening between both of his friends. "I think we have a good amount of people coming here on a daily basis, so a tournament will be cool."

"That's true. It will encourage people to practice more too," With gleaming eyes, Akira bobbed his head up and down in agreement. "And do you think we should have an online one too, to hopefully gain some more exposure?"

"It will be hard to manage if we have two at the same time," Sai exhaled softly, a finger pressed on his chin pensively. "Perhaps an online commentary session of the kind? We can go through a few games simultaneously. That way, we can reach out to other players around the same level to hopefully give them a pointer or two that they can incorporate in their games too."

"That can work!" Hikaru grinned as he rubbed his hair with the damp towel. "It'll be nice too if we can an English commentary lobby too, but my English is horrendous."

"I know enough, but I don't know how I'll fare in a scenario such as that..." Responded Akira, sounding a little troubled. "Although I suppose Go  _is_ gaining popularity in Western countries. It will be an amazing opportunity but we do need someone who can speak English fluently."

Sai nodded dejectedly, especially knowing basically zero English himself. Well, he could remember some from high school but he never had the chance to practice, so he doubted he could be of any use now.

To interrupt the conversation, the door creaked open, revealing Seiji who had a large brown paper bag on his hands and a typical flat expression. "Good morning, Fujiwara-san, Touya-kun." He nodded to regard the men in the room before walking in and closing the door behind him.

"What about me, you ass?" Hikaru's vein immediately popped upon being blatantly ignored.

"Hm. Odd. I thought I heard someone talking. Must be the wind." Said Seiji mockingly as he turned his back towards Hikaru.

"What's this?" Sai blinked, immediately standing next to Seiji to take a peek inside the mysterious brown bag. "Cake!" Sai gasped.

"I made too much yesterday morning. And I don't eat sweets." The blond sighed as he sat on Hikaru's seat, further searing the poor boy with frustration.

"Still, I can hardly believe that you bake, Ogata-san!" Insisted the long-haired male as he admired the meticulously decorated strawberry cake slices. "I sense an interesting story!"

Seiji pursed his lips and closed his eyes, recalling that night a few months ago where his friends drunkenly claimed that it was odd for Seiji to be able to cook and that there was no way he would be able to bake an amazing cake. Just to get the fact straight, Seiji loved proving people wrong. So, he stayed up until 5 AM to cook the perfect cake just to show his friend who was boss. Yes, petty was the right word to describe him.

"No." He flatly answered. "Eat it now or keep in the fridge. I need to head to the office now."

"Ah, Ogata-san!" Akira quickly raised before the man could exit the room. "This might come as an odd question but how fluent are you in English?"

"My father is American, so yes. I'm quite comfortable with the language. Why?" He frowned.

Akira's tone immediately turns hopeful as he smiles wide. "Well, we were planning to have a small Go competition commentary that might require a bit of English. If you're interested..."

Upon seeing Seiji's sceptical expression, Sai moved in front of Akira to grasp both of Seiji's hands who immediately tensed, not expecting such abrupt action. "Please! I know you are inherently a good, great, amazing person, Seiji!" He insists before realising how pushy he must have seemed like and withdrew his hands with a small gasp. "Ah, sorry. I mean... Ogata-san."

"Sure. Whatever." Seiji choked out, contrary to what he had in mind. It really was fascinating what effect Sai had on him. If he was a female, Seiji would definitely have made a pass at him a few times already. Alas, the world was a cruel, cruel place.

"Really?" The hopeful tone took Seiji by surprise, so much so that he lost all his willpower to refuse such an eager look.

"Yeah. I'll clear up my schedule."

"Oh, Seiji...!" Sai's eyes glimmered, forcing Seiji to take one step back. "You are simply wonderful!" Before Sai could leap towards him to take him in a big hug, Seiji swiftly opened the door behind him, sidestepped outside and closed it.

"Yeah, he doesn't seem like the huggy type," Hikaru remarked just a few seconds after Sai almost smashed his forehead against the wooden door. "Still, I'm surprised that he agreed."

"You're always surprised whenever he agrees to anything." Akira sighed as he placed a Goban on the desk they were sitting around.

"You're not wrong there."

Akira shook his head in exasperation but said nothing otherwise. He came to a sitting position soon after as Hikaru set the towel around his neck on the backrest of the chair and dragged himself forward along with the piece of furniture. "Alright! If I lose, Sai will wear a maid uniform for the day!"

Sai laughed for a few seconds before his eyes soon fluttered opened and a tinge of red found its way onto his cheeks. "What?!" He cried out, utterly and thoroughly scandalised by the gamble.

"And if I lose, you will wear the maid uniform, Shindou." Akira chuckled, hands cupping one of the Go bowls.

This time, it was Hikaru's turn to yell. "What?!"

"You better not lose, Hikaru!" Sai lunged forward to grab Hikaru's shoulders and shook him violently.

"I don't want to win!" The boy struggled in Sai's tight grip.

Akira smiled. Better them than him. Win or lose, it was going to be very interesting indeed. Regardless, shopping for a maid costume was certainly in order.

.

"Touya-sensei."

Kouyou who just stepped out of the Go Association to look for a cab immediately stopped in his track and turned around to see the reporter from Go Weekly, Amano, rushing after him. "Good afternoon, Amano-san. How may I help you?" He smiled softly.

"Ah, good afternoon, Touya-sensei," The bespectacled man took a deep breath before straightening his posture and returned the smile with a small bow. "Do you have a few minutes?"

Kouyou turned around to glance at the road and back at Amano, then he nodded. "Of course."

Amano fetched a pen and a small notebook, adjusting his glasses as he did so. "I heard rumours that Touya-kun is attending a small Go cafe."

"You heard right." Kouyou smiled. "They are such wonderful people, the owners are."

"Oh?" Amano blinked in surprise upon hearing what positive opinion the Meijin had of Akira's new friends. "You have met them then, Touya-sensei?" His interest at the topic suddenly skyrocketed. Were they fellow professionals?

"Surely you have heard of the Summer Amateur Championship just a few weeks ago? I believe you did an article about it." The older man thought back fondly at the game that he witnessed. How wonderful it would be if he had the chance to play Sai, the owner of Fujiwara Confectionery. He was just as good as Seiji, yet his Go seemed so much more refreshing.

"Ah, that!" Amano nodded eagerly. "Fujiwara-san's game was stunning. I can hardly believe someone of that level is not a professional."

"I suppose people have their own circumstances," Kouyou responded but unable to feign a tone of indifference. What would become of Sai's talent had he been nurtured around professionals? Under his tutelage, perhaps? "Fujiwara-san is the owner of the Go Cafe that Akira is attending."

Amano's lips parted in an instant at the information that he forgot to jot down Kouyou's words in his notebook. "Truly?"

"Yes. And the runner-up, Shindou, is helping Fujiwara-san running the business. A brilliant boy, he is. I'm very surprised to see that a soccer professional is capable of playing on that level."

"There must be more to his skill than what he displayed in the finals, then?" Amano quickly raised, the notebook still empty.

"Perhaps," Kouyou closed his eyes. It was more of a hunch than anything. However, as a Go player, he would never dare deny the importance of instincts. "I wonder how many others out there are fully capable of becoming professional but unable to do so due to their situations."

The brunette nodded, couldn't help agreeing with the Meijin. "Will Touya-kun be returning?"

"That remains to be seen," Answered Kouyou regretfully yet with a glimmer of hope. "And when he does, he will take us all by storm. I can feel it."

"Is it really wise to let his talent waste away like this?" Amano sighed, closing his book and putting it in his breast pocket as he assumed that Kouyou would like this to stay off the record. "Shouldn't he be chasing after you, Touya-sensei?"

Kouyou shook his head, disagreeing with Amano's question. "He tried to chase after me and it was his downfall," He said, not missing the subtle gesture of promised secrecy. "Right now, he is sifting through the rubbles of his failed attempt to find what it is exactly that he wants out of Go."

Amano did and said nothing except listen to the words of a father who was waiting patiently for his son at the summit. He didn't understand the logic behind Kouyou's reasoning. But again, the Meijin was known for his unpredictability.

"He will be back. I am certain of it." Kouyou smiled and raised his head. "Well then, Amano-san. I need to start heading back now. Good day." 

"Thank you, Touya-sensei." Amano bowed. Maybe it was time to pay the Go Cafe a visit to see what attracted Akira to such a place instead of a more elite Go Salon.

.

"Sai-sensei, you look  _wonderful_!!" Natsuki squealed, her dyed brown hair swishing in the air as she moved her head left and right. "Purple really is your colour. Ah, I'm so jealous!"

"And that apron is the winner! Just the right amount of frill. It must be a good quality uniform. The stitches are remarkable!" Chihaya sighed in delight when she ran her fingers along the white fabric.

"Can I do your hair, Sai-sensei? I think French braid will look  _so_ good on you!" Mia squeezed through the crowd and leaned forward to take strands of Sai's beautiful raven hair and smiled at how silky it felt. "You have to tell me what hair product you use later!"

Sai seemed to already resign himself for a whole day full of their lady guests fawning over his maid costume and hair but Hikaru could still feel the goosebumps. He was going to go through hell at the end of the day, he felt it. Well, it was a relief that he wouldn't be the one to be in the maid uniform. That sight would be too horrific for anyone to handle, especially with his biceps and masculine figure.

The few boys present in the room seemed to be too stunned to even go anywhere near Sai. They sat in the corner, whispering amongst themselves while stealing indiscreet glances at Sai every so often. At least everyone seemed chuffed at this very odd yet strangely fitting sight.

The humble Cafe had grown significantly that they had to consider about relocating to somewhere bigger. However, was there even a point in moving venue when their goal was to save Fujiwara Confectionery, and perhaps breathe life into the dead arcade? Maybe they should look into building an extension in the area. Sai's family was still close to the previous vendors, after all...

Spacing out because most of the girls were there flocking Sai and the few in front of him taking their time to ponder about their next moves, Hikaru's eyes involuntarily moved to Akira who was in the other corner near the windows, still surrounded by the usual crowd who would request games with him. Seeing him with such bright expression reassured Hikaru that Akira did love Go, deep down, despite his vague explanation as to why he quit as a professional. Would he return one day and leave the Go Cafe behind?

Hikaru sighed and shook his head, trying to get such petty thought out of his head. It would be better for Akira to move on instead of clinging to their small and silly Cafe, but he would certainly be missed. Hikaru smiled. How unlike him, to worry about what if's. He was always a go-getter who enjoyed today instead of trying to predict tomorrow. It must be Go that made him think too much!

"Look, look!" As she grabbed a pocket mirror from her backpack, Mia grinned and let Sai see himself.

The man's lips parted. "Oh, Mia-chan. You are so talented! My hair isn't the easiest to tie because most hair tie slides off but this? This looks perfectly snug!"

"Well, I learn from the best!" She inflated her chest in pride, thinking fondly of her mother who ran a small hairdresser.

"Hikaru-sensei?" One of the three girls he was indulging in a game with called out bashfully.

"What is it, Morie-chan?" He gave her a smile, one that she giggled at.

"How is my Go looking today?" She asked, couldn't bring herself to face Hikaru in fear of stuttering and making a fool out of herself.

"I have to say that you have natural talent. You've only played casually for five years, you said?" Hikaru grinned, thoroughly impressed at the sight he saw on the board. She really was good.

"Ah, yes!" She pursed her lips and twiddled her thumbs. "I... I was thinking... of participating in the insei admittance exam this year. Do you think I can?"

"Ooh!!" Hikaru slammed the table and came to a stand. "Let's talk to Touya, right now! Give me a second, will you, Eko-chan, Mari-chan?" When the two girls nodded eagerly, the boy walked around the table and grabbed the girl by the wrist, practically dragging her towards Akira. "Hey, Touya. She wants to take the insei exam, she said! Do you want to play her to see how she measures up?"

Akira blinked in astonishment, mouth slightly parted. "Really, Morie-san?"

"Y-yes." She nodded, surprised that Akira knew her by name. This Go Cafe really was superb in its service.

"What a coincidence! Yuka-san over here just said the same thing. Why don't you two play each other?" The retired professional proposed as he smiled at the girl in a ponytail. She must be no more than fifteen.

"Sounds good to me," Pushing her seat backwards, she sprung to her feet. "Shall we, Morie-san?"

"Yes, please!" Morie beamed and they immediately made their way to a free Go-ban near the middle of the room, leaving Hikaru and Akira smiling fondly at them.

"Oh, man. This is awesome," Hikaru sighed in elation. "I can't wait to see how they're gonna do."

Akira nodded. Joining the Go Cafe must be one of the best decisions he had made in his entire life. Seeing what effect he had on these young players made him swell with pride. Of course, it wasn't only through his handiwork. These players practised in their own free time, but Akira felt honoured to be able to somewhat encourage them to take the leap. And as cheesy as it might sound like, he felt as if it wasn't only him who was there to push them forward, but these amateurs were also doing the same to him.

Was it time for him to return to the professional scene?

He looked at Hikaru, then at Sai. A smile crept towards his lips. Where else could he find friends like the ones he found on those two? He would miss spending time with them.

Perhaps a few more months. If after a few months, his feelings for Go remained as strong as it had been for these few months, then he would sit down with Sai and Hikaru to talk about what would be next.

Cutting through Akira's moment of silence, the door to the Cafe opened and soon, the room was filled with even dead quietness.

There was a sound of a bag being dropped.

"Seiji!" Sai's cheeks turned bright pink as he desperately tried to hide behind one of the girls but to no avail, considering how tall he was in comparison to everyone else in the room.

"Do... I want to know...?" Seiji was pale, the question coming out of his lips so slowly and so softly.

"It's all Hikaru's fault!" Sai sulked, glaring little holes at Hikaru who immediately turned away and whistled as if he had nothing to do with Sai's predicament.

Seiji glared at the boy and this time, he could no longer ignore it. His shoulders tensed upon feeling Seiji's death glare, about a thousand times as terrifying and deadly as Sai's.

As Seiji made his way towards Hikaru in a fit of anger and frustration, Hikaru could hear some of the boys murmuring about how fucked and dead Hikaru was. Well, it was probably true. There was this unspeakable camaraderie between Sai and Seiji that no one ever really talked about but noticed. It was obvious if you squint. Seiji was always rough with men but always soft-spoken with Sai. Sai, on the other hand, seemed to be extremely fond of Seiji and was always the first to defend him whenever someone talked ill of him despite his tendency to stay away from arguments.

"What did you do, brat?" Seiji hissed, his fingers clenched tightly on Hikaru's scalp.

"I... I..." Hikaru croaked before glancing sideways at Sai who turned away from him, and Akira who pretended to not notice him. "Oh, come on, Touya! You share the blame for this too!"

"You were the one who gambled Fujiwara-san and lost!" The accused male quickly raised to defend himself.

"You gambled Fujiwara-san?" Seiji narrowed his eyes.

"W-well..." Hikaru stammered, unable to points fingers at anyone anymore.

Seiji sighed and looked at Akira. "Touya-kun, you are the more sensible one. Why did you let this happen?"

"I thought it would be..." Akira swallowed. What would it have been? Funny? He somehow thought that Seiji wouldn't appreciate that answer. "...interesting."

"I see," The bespectacled male closed his eyes, massaged the bridge of his nose and nodded. "Well, Shindou-kun. Let's play a game."

"No!" Objected the boy immediately.

"Come on, Hikaru-sensei. You have to take responsibility!" Chihaya and Tomoru grinned as they restrained their beloved teacher, preventing him from running away despite loving what had become of Sai.

"A game! A game! A game!" Everyone else in the room pretty much chanted, keen to see just what kind of bet Seiji would put on the table. Regardless of what it was, it promised to be very entertaining. Definitely wouldn't be a prettier sight than a French braided Sai in a maid costume, though.

"If I win, both you and Akira will wear maid uniforms tomorrow. Fujiwara gets to pick it."

"What?!" Both boys yelled out in horror. "N-no! Touya, you play him! The stake is too high!"

"Ogata-san, please let me play in his stead!" Akira practically ran towards Hikaru to stand in front of him. As he was, he stood no chance against Seiji, but if it was Akira... maybe they had a chance.

"Chickening out, Shindou-kun?" Seiji smirked in such a condescending manner that it made Hikaru's blood boil. However, before he could scream and accept Seiji's challenge, Akira slapped his hand over Hikaru's mouth. "Fine. Let's play, Touya-kun."

"If I win, you'll be the one to wear maid uniform."

"That's going to be one hell of a horrific sight." One of the male guests paled in an instant at the image. The girls nodded, seeming extremely troubled as well.

Noticing the sudden stoop in the mood, Sai stepped forward. "Wait!" He said, making everyone turn towards him. "Why don't we let everyone decide what's going to happen to the loser?"

Hikaru sighed in relief when Seiji seemed pensive. There might be a chance that they wouldn't have to wear the uniforms, after all.

"All right," The blond retorted after a long silence. Taking a seat and crossing his legs, he smiled at the guests. "What will it be?"

The crowd immediately formed a circle and whisper amongst themselves. It almost seemed like a UN meeting judging by how serious they all seemed as they murmur to each other. After a few tense minutes, they finally pulled away and turned around.

"If Akira-sensei loses, he will be the one to wear the maid uniform." One of the boys grinned. Were they blushing?

"And Hikaru-sensei will wear butler attire!" The girls squealed all at once.

"Fuck yes." Hikaru did a small fist pump of relief while Akira glared at him for celebrating, and most importantly implying that Akira would certainly lose.

"If Ogata-san loses..." The boys looked at Sai. "Fujiwara-sensei will be wearing that again."

"How horrible!" The long-haired male curled his lips but didn't voice further objection due to how excited everyone seemed to be. However, he had faith in Seiji's Go skill, so that was partly the reason why. Seiji wouldn't lose against Akira. Hopefully.

"And like Hikaru-sensei, Ogata-san will wear a butler uniform." The girls had an ear-to-ear grin. No matter who would emerge victorious, they were in for a treat.

"That doesn't sound like a bad deal," Seiji rested his cheek on his knuckles. Sai in maid uniform painted a pretty picture, after all. A split second later, Seiji mentally slapped himself for even thinking that. "So, Touya-kun. What are you waiting for?" He asked as an attempt to get his mind out of the gutter. 

Begrudgingly, Akira took a deep breath and sat in front of Seiji with firm eyes, determined to get the better of his opponent. It was a tall mountain to climb but he was a former professional confident in his skill. This much, he was confident he could do.

.

"Hey, Isumi-san, did you hear?" Was the first thing that Waya said after he finally caught up with Isumi who just left the match hall.

"Waya? How did your match go?" He chuckled at his friend's usual vibrant attitude. Judging from the way he acted, it was probably safe to say that he won. It was only confirmed when the boy gave him a quick thumb up. "And did I hear about what?"

"Fujiwara Go Cafe is having some sort of Go Tournament."

"I never thought you would be interested in that." Isumi blinked although not completely taken aback. After all, his friend had displayed a fanboy tendency towards the owner, Fujiwara Sai.

"Well... no. I guess," He scratched the back of his head, lips curled. "But I heard that they're doing some sort of online commentary. In English too."

"Oh?" The raven-haired male widened his eyes at the information. "Is this just one convoluted way to say that you want me to accompany you there so you can play against Fujiwara-san?"

"No!" He flinched. "I mean... Yeah. Don't you want to play him again, Isumi-san?"

Isumi laughed in response, making Waya frown at him in displeasure. "Is it in two weeks?" He asked. It wouldn't hurt to visit that small Go Cafe and its fascinating 

"Yeah, on Saturday." Waya nodded but still unable to calm himself. The prospect of playing Sai once more filled him with both anticipation and trepidation. He had gotten stronger, that was for sure. But had Sai gotten stronger too? He was keen to find out.

.

There seemed to be more boys than usual attending the Cafe. Actually, there was a constantly growing number of them. It was odd since Sai initially thought that they would only attract the ladies and a handful of men. It wasn't an unwelcome surprise, by all means, however. It must have been the amount of females in the Cafe that drew them in.

"Mm..." Akira muttered, eyes filled with embarrassment as he tugged the short skirt down. How the girls handled walking around in this, Akira wasn't sure.

Seiji was sitting in the corner, cheek rested on his digit. He had a small mischievous smirk on him while watching Akira being swarmed by the girls and the boys just like how the man next to him was the other day. Seiji then glanced at Sai who was busy playing against four guests.

"You shouldn't pick on them so much, Seiji." Sai giggled upon feeling Seiji's eyes on him.

"What? You don't want to exact your revenge?" Leaning back in his chair and taking a sip of coffee, he smiled.

"That was a risky gamble. I have faith in your skill but Akira-kun isn't someone to take lightly." Sai shook his head before placing a stone on the board. Yesterday's game was too close for his liking. It was only thanks to a slip-up on Akira's part that Seiji was able to win. The boy really had improved.

Seiji shrugged nonchalantly. "I won."

"But what if you had lost?"

"Hey, I'm not the one who's going to wear the maid uniform." Seiji laughed, making Sai curl his lips to sulk.

"Ogata-san..." Someone called out and Seiji glanced at the owner of the voice. "Can we have a game?"

Seiji nodded and adjusted his sitting position so that he faced the desk as a silent 'yes' to the request. The girl's expression brightened in an instant as she immediately took a seat. "How many stones do you want?"

"What about an even game for now?" It was a suggestion that Seiji accepted with a nod.

Not a moment too soon, the door into the Cafe creaked open, revealing a middle-aged man with glasses and brown suit. Sai smiled and waved at Amano, someone who interviewed him after he won the Tournament a few weeks ago. Akira, on the other hand, quickly slipped through the crowd and into the corner where he wished Amano wouldn't spot him.

"Fujiwara-san?" The reporter greeted, oblivious to Akira's presence.

"Amano-san! To what do I owe this pleasure?" He smiled but remained unmoving from his seating position as he still had games to tend to.

"Well..." He smiled half awkwardly and half in surprise by how many young people were in that small room. "Touya-sensei told me about this Go Cafe of yours and I decided to pay a visit."

"Touya-sensei did?" Sai blinked. "Well, that's a surprise."

The older male nodded before coming to a stop to observe the boards sprawled in front of him then frowned when he saw Ogata Seiji sitting next to Sai, indulging a high schooler in a game of Go. What was a politician lawyer doing here? That view encouraged him to look around the room once more. There were more young people in that room more than anything he had ever seen in any Go Salon, ever.

Then, he looked back at Sai. Then at Seiji. Then at Hikaru in the other corner, wearing what seemed to be a butler attire. Then it all  _clicked_.

So it was  _that_ kind of Cafe. While he had to commend their efficiency in roping in the younger generations, he wasn't sure if he agreed with the method. Regardless, it was a fascinating topic to cover, and one he thought he would be able to fit into the Go Weekly. For now, he wanted to wait until Sai finished his games, perhaps get a bit of a glimpse to his skill once more.

Amidst the black and brown, Amano spotted a green and his eyes widened. Was that...? Could it be...? Then he saw the maid uniform and he shook his head.

No. It couldn't be. Touya Akira wouldn't wear maid uniforms, would he?

.

"Oh my god, Sai!"  Hikaru burst into the room, hair wet and a towel slung over his shoulder.

"Hikaru, put a shirt on!" Sai stood up, red-faced, scandalised.

"I'm having a déjà vu..." Akira shook his head but failed to conceal a small chuckle. They really were an entertaining bunch of people and Akira was glad that he decided to join this Go Cafe of theirs.

"Look, look!" He exclaimed excitedly, completely ignoring Sai's remark and proceeded to open the Go Weekly in his hand. "They wrote a column about us and our coming Go tournament! Oh man... this is awesome. Do you know how real it is now? We already have so many people registering on our website!"

Sai skimmed through the page and giggled to himself, although ending it with a sigh. Hikaru looked at him questioningly. "It's clear that Amano-san doesn't approve of us..."

Akira placed a hand on the magazine and dragged it towards him to confirm what Sai speculated. He, too, ended it with an exhale. "Well, I knew that this is going to be a controversial idea in the Go community. Most of them are old-fashioned."

Hikaru crossed his arms and frowned. "I think we're doing more good than harm. I mean, we've got teenagers learning the game and being  _good_ at it. Hell, Morie-chan and Yuka-chan registering for the coming Insei exam. Shouldn't it be celebrated?"

There was a short pause before both Sai and Akira burst into laughter, making Hikaru's frown all the more apparent. Both men exchanged amused looks. He really was Hikaru, all right. So passionate it was extremely infectious. He would make such a stellar Go professional.

"If we keep doing what we do, and if we keep spreading the love for Go, I'm sure we will be accepted." Sai sighed in delight. He would have never thought that he would advocate the idea of a Go host club yet here he was. Everything had not been anything less than perfect and he had Hikaru to thank. Without him, he would have never met Akira and Seiji. And also the Meijin himself!

"Okay, I'm fired up!" Hikaru yelled out, punching the air. "Let's make this the best. Tournament. Ever!"

 


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> idk I'm tired and I forgot how to write fluff\  
> So I decided to stop before anyone dies /o\
> 
> Sorry, I didn't do the idea justice... at some point I just got stumped and inspiration never really came back. I wish I was a better writer... Oh well, practice makes perfect.

"Thank you very much, Akazawa-san." Sai bowed his head as he stood up to leave the examination room.

"Remember, Fujiwara-kun. No excessive stress, physically or mentally. Don't forget to take your prescriptions too." The doctor smiled, taking the slip of paper from the desk and waved it at Sai who laughed nervously upon realising that he had forgotten to grab the reason why he visited the doctor, to begin with.

"Off to a good start," Sai giggled. "Well, see you next time!"

Akazawa nodded and escorted his patient out of the room. When he left, the doctor exhaled softly through his smile. What a strong man Sai was. It must have been harsh to constantly go in and out of the hospital at a very young age and perhaps, forever He would never have guessed that such a tender and positive man suffered from an incurable illness.

The hospital was like a maze, but after years of getting lost, Sai was finally accustomed to the layout. He took a right, then another right, the third left and the second right to find the stairs that led to the pharmacy. However, as he hummed to make a turn, he stopped.

"Hikaru?" He mumbled to himself upon seeing his best friend standing in the other corner, back facing him. In front of Hikaru was a man in a white coat, most definitely a doctor.

Sai tentatively approached the younger male but stopped when he heard him speak.

"So... there's no way I'll get better?" He muttered in a hoarse voice that broke Sai's heart. Like him, Hikaru wore his heart on his sleeves and although Sai was grateful that he never tried to hide his emotion, it also served as a double-edged sword.

"I'm sorry, Shindou-san," The doctor sighed. His previously calm expression faltered. "Although it's slowly healing, you will not be able to play for an extended period anymore, or you will risk re-injury."

"Right..." Hikaru sighed at the salt on his wound. It was clear that he already knew what the answer to his question was, yet he refused to believe it. "Thanks." The boy muttered bitterly and kept his head down even after the doctor left.

Never in his life had Sai ever felt so powerless, not even as he watched his parents slowly crumbling under financial issues. Because unlike the predicament that befell his family, Hikaru was different. He was right there, so frail and so insecure yet there was nothing he could do about it. Sai watched as Hikaru leaned against the wall and kicked the air in frustration.

There was a long silence before Sai hear the first sniff that made his stomach clench and eyes water. A moment later, he saw Hikaru inhaling sharply and wiping his eyes with the sleeves of his hoodie before abruptly turning around and came face-to-face with him.

"Oh," He muttered, eyes starting to swell. "Uhm... well. This is awkward." He forced out nervous laughter.

There was nothing else for Sai to say, so he took a big step forward and pulled Hikaru into a hug. As soon as Sai closed the distance between them, Hikaru's shoulders trembled and tears started falling once more.

Here's for a broken dream.

.

Seiji was in the middle of paperwork when his phone vibrated violently on his desk, making him jump in surprise. His assistant giggled upon seeing his usually calm and composed boss mouthing a barrage of swear words.

"Yes, mother?" Seiji sighed, heart slowly slowing down to a reasonable pace.

_"Are you all right, Seiji? You're taking tomorrow off?"_ Came her concerned voice that still somehow managed to be borderline melodic.

"I'm doing a favour for my friend. I'm fine." He sighed. Well, it was unusual for him to take a day off, so his mother was probably right to worry.

_"Oh?"_  The voice from over the phone sounded so genuinely surprised, and Seiji wasn't sure if he should be offended or not. Okay, he was a bit of a workaholic. Maybe it was a natural reaction.

"I have friends too, mother." Seiji chuckled, followed by Kumiyo on the other line.

_"Of course you do. Well, have a good day off tomorrow, Seiji. Your father and I will be off tonight."_

"Have a good trip." Seiji smiled as he fiddled with the pen on his fingers. When there was a prolonged silence of neither hanging up, Seiji glanced at his assistant and sighed as she gave him a shit-eating grin. "I love you, mother." He said at last.

_"Love you too, son."_ She replied, obviously pleased. Then, the call was cut.

"She is such a lovely woman." The female in a black suit and dark-framed glasses giggled. In her hands were two blue folders that she passed to Seiji.

"Thanks for getting these," Said Seiji, one hand reaching out to take the folders off her but eyes still focused on the stack of paper on his desk. "And well, while she is lovely, she really is a handful."

"At least you have a good relationship with her. It's always nice to see men who get along with his mother so openly." She sighed with a lowered voice, lingering in front of Seiji intentionally.

The blond's movement came to a stop as he slowly lifted his head up, looked her straight in the eyes and smiled. "It really is."

If there was one thing that she excelled the most at, it was understanding body language and eye contact. The way Seiji's eyes remained on hers even after a few seconds of silence spoke volume. She quickly bowed her head and left the room. Who would've thought that such an eligible bachelor was gay?

When the door was closed behind her, Seiji shook his head and buried his face in his hands with a long, long exhale. The fact that the first thing that came into his head upon hearing 'men with a good relationship with his mother' was Sai meant that he must be going insane and slightly masochistic for having a potentially unrequited affection, but mostly insane.

Sai, Sai, Sai. Such a brilliant man. Always so honest, so sincere, so pure. Seiji never thought that someone who possessed all those qualities could exist in such a cruel world. What would become of him had he been healthy and able to join the professional world? What manner of monster would he turn out to be?

Seiji never thought that he would once again regret his decision of not pursuing Go, something that he knew he loved. He was too dutiful of a son to let his parents down like that, not when they already believed that Seiji would take in their footsteps and become a lawyer. Not to mention that his interests always swayed, so he assumed that Go would only be a phase - a long one, but a phase nonetheless. It wasn't.

Seiji groaned. Life sure was difficult.

.

Kouyou sat in front of the Go-ban with his arms crossed and expression pensive. He wasn't expecting any guests that day, especially after the teaching session was over. However, he was proven wrong when he heard the soft tapping of footsteps from the other side of the sliding door, followed by a soft voice calling out,

"Father?"

"Come in," He replied to his son who a second later slid the door open and walked forward to sit in front of him with a troubled look on his face. "What is the matter, son?"

"I..." Akira started but immediately shut his mouth and shook his head. "Can we play a game?"

Kouyou somehow managed to conceal his surprise at the request that he hadn't heard from Akira for years now. Was his patience finally paying off? Was Akira going to return to the world he belonged to at last? There was only one answer. The Meijin nodded calmly before slowly moving to clear the board with Akira's help.

"How is everything at the Cafe?" The older man started.

"It's... good." Akira sighed, making Kouyou understand that whatever it was that bothered him must have been about the Cafe.

At the unsatisfactory answer, Kouyou tried again. "You are doing a wonderful thing, Akira. Do not let anyone else tell you otherwise."

Blinking back in surprise, Akira stammered. "Really?"

"I saw what you have done," Kouyou smiled fondly and sincerely as he placed a stone on the board. "Yesterday, two girls came in to sign up for the insei exam and said that they want to be more like 'Akira-sensei', 'Hikaru-sensei', 'Sai-sensei' and 'Ogata-san'."

Upon hearing that, Akira couldn't do anything but blush. Was it really true?

"You managed to inspire the younger generation to take the game more seriously. How can anyone think that you're doing anything less than excellent?" Said  Kouyou gently as he crossed his arms once more, waiting for Akira to respond to his move.

A silence stretched on for a few minutes as they continued their game which quickly shifted into chuban. Kouyou noticed how Akira seemed even more contemplative than before, signifying the fact that he was pondering over not only what moves to make over the board, but also in his life. Seeing such look truly took him back. He could hardly remember when the last time he had to make a life-changing decision was.

"If..." Akira started, then swallowed. A few seconds later, he tried again. "I don't know what to do, father."

It took Kouyou a few seconds to process what Akira meant by that. He watched as his son clenched the fabric of his pants tightly and how anxious his eyes seemed to be. Kouyou then closed his eyes and smiled. "I trust you, son. You must choose what is best for you," He said softly. "Know that whichever path you take, you will always have my support."

Akira immediately pursed his lips and brought his head down. After a sigh, he dared to look at his father again, this time with a genuine smile that reminded him of the Akira from all those years ago.

"Thank you, father."

.

The event was much, much more than Hikaru, Sai and Akira were expecting. Actually, it was  _too_ much for them to handle that they had to request help from Isumi and Waya who happened to see them struggling to handle the in-person and virtual guests. It seemed that Amano's article must have coaxed more public interest, especially from the professionals. And in the professional world, any news regarding Go travelled quickly.

"Thank you, Akira-kun, Seiji. You two are lifesavers!" Sai sighed in relief when he saw the two men bringing a few Go boards of their own while both Sai and Hikaru had to borrow some desks from their neighbours to cater for the overwhelming number of people attending what was supposed to be a small event.

Upon seeing Akira, a few professionals immediately made their way towards him with an intrigued look on their faces and started to prod him with questions. However, unlike last time, Akira made no attempt to run away. He humoured everyone with a polite smile and calmly explained the concept of the Cafe.

Seiji, on the other hand, immediately busied himself with the laptop where he set up a broadcast and started talking to the English-speaking attendees on the chatroom. Such a ruckus drew people out of their houses to take a peek at Fujiwara Confectionery which bustled with a large number of people. It was a sight that none had witnessed for years.

"We might've bitten a lot more than we can chew." Hikaru groaned when he finally had a chance to take a deep breath.

"I'd say!" Responded Sai with a giggle as he viewed just how many people were present. They had to place tables outside on the street for people to play on. "But isn't this great, Hikaru?"

The addressed boy could do nothing but nod and smile. He, for one, was relieved to be able to distract himself instead of wallowing in sadness over what could never be.

"Good afternoon, Fujiwara-kun, Shindou-kun."

Both men blinked at the deep voice and when they turned around, their jaw dropped. Standing in front of them was Kouyou, again, in all of his Meijin glory.

"T-T-Touya-sensei!" The younger male quickly stammered at the surprising yet not unwelcomed sight. "Welcome!"

"No need to be so nervous," He smiled, voice dropping a little as if to reassure them. It proved to be effective as both Sai and Hikaru's shoulders sagged. "How are you two holding up?"

"Just barely!" Sai sighed but not without a smile of contentment. It was clear that he was having the time of his life. "We're very lucky to have a few assistance here and there."

"Fujiwara-san!" Akira came running at them and blinked when he saw his father. "Hello, father. Fujiwara-san, it's almost time."

"Oh, is it?" The man with long hair gasped before quickly making his way inside but not without saying his goodbye to Kouyou. Hikaru followed after his friend.

"You are very fortunate to have friends like them, Akira." Kouyou smiled fondly, followed by Akira's nod of agreement.

"Father," The boy inhaled before turning his head to face the Meijin, his eyes burning with resolve. "I have made my decision."

Kouyou's eyes lingered at his son for a few seconds where he could find nothing that remotely resembled doubt. It seemed that there was little more he could do to shake the ground he stood at - no, there was nothing he could do, he soon admitted.

"I will remain here." He smiled, eyes cast towards Fujiwara Confectionery.

Placing a hand on Akira's shoulder, Kouyou responded. "Then I wish you all the best, son."

.

"I'm dead," Hikaru moaned. "I'm  _dead_." He repeated this time a little muffled because his face was buried in his crossed arms. 

"Stop being a drama queen." Seiji rolled his eyes as he placed a few plates of hot, steaming food on the desk.

"No one asked for your opinion." The boy stuck out his tongue but didn't stop himself from shoving a spoonful of fried rice into his mouth. As soon as the food touched his tongue, Hikaru opened his eyes wide. "This... This..."

"Good?" Seiji had a shit-eating grin on his face and Hikaru glared at him.

"It's  _edible_." He lied through his teeth. In fact, it was so delectable that Hikaru could envision himself asking for second even before he finished the first.

"It tastes amazing, Seiji." Sai giggled as he watched Hikaru munching away in frustration, clearly enjoying the meal.

The bespectacled male only nodded gingerly in response while looking away, followed by a cough. "Well, of course. Who do you think I am?" He added a few seconds later, smugly for those who didn't know him, and bashfully for those who did.

"Hikaru-sensei!" A voice echoed from the other side of the door before it was pushed open soon after. "There you are." Chizu grinned. Behind her were Morie and Yuka with smiles of their own. "Oh, that smells amazing." She commented upon seeing the fried rice on the table and widened her eyes when she saw Seiji with an apron.

"We have leftover. Have a seat." He remarked, pointing at the large bowl and a few spare plates.

The girls took a few seconds before they nodded eagerly and rushed to take a seat with the Cafe staff.

"Fujiwara-san." Akira started after a long while of uncharacteristic silence.

"Finally decided to talk?" Hikaru rolled his eyes, followed by a typical smack on the back of the head by Sai who then looked at Akira apologetically.

The boy chuckled. How very like Hikaru, he mused. "Ah, well..." He inhaled, trying to regain his composure. "I have decided that I will stay here."

Sai blinked.

"I have told my father and he doesn't seem to mind."

Sai blinked.

"You said it yourself, didn't you, Fujiwara-san? That as long as I don't lose my love for the game, it's a win?" Akira said, eyes closed. "Of course being in the professional scene is one way to show how much you love the game but I think..." He paused, taking his time to glance at Hikaru, Sai, Seiji and the three girls on the table. "I think there's something charming about encouraging others to develop the same love you have for the game."

Sai blinked.

"Uh... Fujiwara-san?" He tilted his head in concern. Mouths shouldn't be open for that long.

"Akira-kun..." He muttered at last. "You mean, you're  _staying_? Here?"

"Yes, if you will allow me—" Akira didn't even get to finish his sentence as Sai's entire body was suddenly slammed into him with such force he almost fell off the chair.

"Akira-kun!!!" The long-haired male squealed, tears flowing out of his eyes. "I... I was worried that you will leave us. I mean, you looked like you were right at home when you talked with the professionals. I thought the reason for your silence was because you didn't know how to put it into words... I was so, so worried!"

"F-Fujiwara-san! Air... air..."

"What? Oh, right! Sorry!" He immediately retreated.

Akira took a mouthful of much-needed oxygen before he continued his point. "Please take care of me from now on, Fujiwara-san, Shindou."

"Yes! Yes!" Sai nodded violently while Hikaru only laughed but failed to conceal the warmth that surged from within. Akira was staying. He didn't have anything to worry about, after all. "Oh, on that note..." Clapping his hands together, Sai's expression remained as bright as ever. He then turned his head to face Seiji who had his arms crossed, leaning against the wall. "Seiji also agreed to help us on a casual basis."

"What?!" Hikaru practically shot to his feet, hands slamming the poor desk so hard the plates and cutleries lying on it jumped. "Why him?!"

"What, scared that your fans are going to start running to me?" Seiji had a mischievous grin on his face as he leaned into Hikaru's personal space, making the boy draw his head back.

Instead of replying to the snarky comment, Hikaru growled low and took a spoonful of fried rice and shoved it into his mouth, silently telling Seiji just how much he hated his guts.

The three girls who joined them only giggled at their teachers' unruly behaviours. This Go Cafe was truly one of a kind and they were glad they discovered it.

.

**Omake**

"Seiji?" Sai blinked upon seeing the man storming out of the room, eyes fuelled with hatred. His footsteps were heavy as if he couldn't wait even one more second to leave. When he looked back at what might have caused such problem, sat an old man with a mischievous grin on his face. When Seiji slammed the door shut, Kuwabara's laughter echoed inside the room.

So that was why.

It was odd since all the other guests seemed to adore the old man. They said he reminded them of their own caring, loving grandfather. Sai, too, thought so. Kuwabara might come across as a little intimidating due to his overwhelming strength in Go, which should be a given since he was a title holder, but he was also very gentle to everyone, never afraid to give the amateurs a pointer or two.

Well, with the exception of Seiji.

Kuwabara  _relished_ every second he tugged on Seiji's thin patience. Watching the two was like watching Hikaru and Seiji's interaction, except Seiji was Hikaru and Kuwabara was Seiji.

"Serves him right." Hikaru's shoulders moved as he laughed.

"Ah, young Touya..." Kuwabara said amidst Hikaru's chuckles. "Shall we have a game?"

Akira's breath hitched in his throat, which only made Hikaru even more hysterical. He was practically in tears as Kuwabara approached Akira and sat in front of the former professional.

"I... I..." The boy glared with the intensity of a thousand knives at Hikaru, but he didn't budge. He repeatedly slammed the table with his hands, the other holding onto his stomach as if it was his lifeline.

"Ah, you know what?" The Honinbo smiled so brightly, it made Akira dread what idea he had in mind. "I think I will play you instead, Shindou-kun."

"Oh, uhm," Hikaru immediately stammered.

"Sounds like a wonderful idea." Akira nodded eagerly as Kuwabara slowly came to a stand and sat in front of Hikaru instead.

"We're not done yet, old man!" Came a voice from behind Sai, followed by that signature thumping of leather shoes against the ceramic tile that always happened whenever Seiji and Kuwabara met.

"Seiji," Sai shot his hand to stop the bespectacled man from charging head first into an unwinnable fight. "Take a deep breath, okay?"

Seiji complied, but again, he never once refused Sai's wishes. "Okay," He nodded, their eyes met and remained that way for a few seconds. "You..." He murmured. "You can let go now."

Sai practically squealed at the realisation that he had been holding on for too long. "Sorry!" He quickly apologised. The only response he received was Seiji turning his back towards him and walking off, a tinge of pink visible on his cheeks.

"Ew." Hikaru winced.

"Hm." Akira placed his fingers on his chin thoughtfully.

"Aww..." Everyone else whispered in unison, Kuwabara included.


End file.
